HOSTage
by Atakiri Mizuyuki
Summary: [[RETIRED - please see revamp, HOSTage.0]] When Yami Bakura realizes he's losing his latest Shadow Game against Yami Yugi, Yami Bakura plays dirty and tries to steal the puzzle by force. But when instead the Pharaoh's soul and his own trade items, Yami might just be in his greatest danger yet... [[RETIRED]]
1. Prologue: Idea

**THIS WILL BE FACING A MAJOR OVERHAUL SOON. SORRY ABOUT THIS...**

Comments copied from dA:

[coming soon; sorry]

PROLOGUE -_-_- Idea

Yami Bakura leaned against the wall of the alley, looking at his fingernails dispassionately. It was cold and mist was rising from the ground, but he didn't feel it. He was too pissed off to notice some environmental inconvenience.

The _hum_ of a motorcycle.

"About damn time," he spat, pushing himself off of the wall. A shape appeared out of the mist and quickly grew larger and more defined. Not that Yami Bakura had any doubts about who the person was; who else would be riding a motorcycle at one-thirty in the morning through the narrow alleyways of the black heart of Domino City?

"You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago," he said angrily as Marik stopped beside him and took off his helmet. Marik scowled at him and put the kick-stand of the motorcycle down. Yami Bakura noticed the green paint job and arched an eyebrow at Marik. "How many of these things do you have?"

"As many as I want," Marik replied without missing a beat. He leaned against the motorcycle and crossed his arms, the Millennium Rod glimmering at his side. "So? What news on Yugi Mutou?" Yami Bakura scowled and folded his own arms.

"What do you expect me to say? That he's suddenly fallen over dead and he left the Millennium Puzzle to you in his will?"

"That'd be terrific," Marik replied. Yami Bakura scowled angrily.

"He _sleeps _with the bloody thing on," Yami Bakura replied, looking away from the arrogant smirk on Marik's face.

"So you mean you don't have it," he said, the slightest hint of arrogance in his voice. Yami Bakura ground his teeth together but forced himself to cool off before saying anything.

"It means that I'd have to rape Yugi Mutou to get it while he's sleeping," he spat. Marik's smirk pissed him off—a lot. He chose to ignore Marik for Marik's own good. He would _kill_ that pest the moment he had his Millennium Rod. He'd swear it on Zorc's name—he _would_ kill that little bastard.

"Then what do you propose you do about it?" Marik asked, crossing his arms.

_Not now, I can't kill him now._

_But there are no witnesses…_

"_I_ intend to bide my time, just as I _have_ been doing—" he started.

"And look how far _that's_ gotten you," Marik pointed out. Next thing Yami Bakura knew he had his hand twisted in the collar of Marik's shirt and Marik was hanging a couple of inches off the ground.

"_I _was doing _fine _before _you_ decided to show your ugly fake-tanned face and screw with Yugi's head!" he shouted angrily. Marik wasn't smirking now—he wasn't scared, but he was certainly not pleased. "Now _you're _here with your little army of Rare Hunters and you've scared the little bastard to the point where he's more Yami than Yugi! How the hell am I supposed to do anything when he realizes he's been pushed into a corner and is fighting like he's in one?!" He dropped Marik, who managed to catch himself neatly on his feet, bending his knees only slightly to take the force. "I'll get it, just watch. And with the puzzle Yugi will be powerless, and you'll get your damn little god card and I'll get both the puzzle and the rod." He stared pointedly at the Millennium Rod, not bothering to try and hide his greed at all. Marik held it out, his fist clamped tightly around it.

"You want this?" he asked, his voice angry. Apparently he didn't like being picked up by the collar of his shirt. "Then you'll do as I damn well say, won't you? The more of a threat I am, the more he'll need his friends. Don't just hide your host away—he's more than your landlord, he's your greatest asset. Learn about him—and after a while you can finally destroy the boy completely and know him well enough that Yugi won't know the boy is gone until long after you've put the puzzle around your own neck." Yami Bakura scowled at him, but he couldn't deny the truth of what he'd said. He didn't allow Bakura out much; he had a body again, and he was damn well going to use it. And as such, he didn't like to be around Yugi too often—the less Yugi thought of him, the better for his plans. But that little Egyptian bastard had a good point; Yugi was a softy in the truest sense. If he put his host in danger, Yugi would panic. He could easily force Yugi to do anything he wanted, except for one big problem.

The Pharaoh.

It might have been easy to steal the cool from the little midget kid with the hair taller than he was, but the Pharaoh was something else entirely. You couldn't steal his cool—you couldn't steal what wasn't there. And as a thief he'd know. The Pharaoh didn't wear his cool like a mask like most people; it was in his very _skin_, like Yugi wore his innocence and Yami Bakura wore his hatred.

Marik's was too poorly sprayed to see anything through.

He pushed himself off of the wall violently, registering but ignoring how Marik's eyes narrowed but he didn't move, as if preparing himself for Yami Bakura to attack him. It wasn't entirely as unlikely as Marik might have thought—he wouldn't have to bother with Yugi _or_ that damned Pharaoh if he just killed Marik and took his rod. But Marik had his uses, and he supposed for the time being he would try to use him.

Besides, Marik's death would give Yugi hope, and why would Yami Bakura bother with that?

"Fine," he said, although he was well aware nothing had really passed between them. "Then why don't you return to that cancer-causer you call a tanning booth and make yourself a _little_ darker, Marik? After all, right now you only look like someone left you in the oven a _little_ too long." He arched an eyebrow at Marik as if trying to make him get the point sooner. He turned on his heel and walked towards the end of the alley, feeling the ring strongly against his chest. It wanted more than just itself, and he would be happy to deliver as soon as he could.

Against his motorcycle Marik scowled disgustedly. He grabbed his helmet and put it over his head, strapping it in place. He would _kill_ that British prick as soon as he had the god cards. Upon the name of the new pharaoh—himself—he would.

He put up the kickstand of his bike with a violent impact from his shoe and got on it.

Somewhere many miles away Yugi slept peacefully in his bed, curled on his side, a concerned shadow figure perched on the edge of the mattress, his face set with worry.


	2. Chapter 1: Insomnia

There's going to be a lot of formatting errors for a little bit because I originally wrote these to be on deviantArt, so I used i /i for italics instead of actually italicizing it, which will not proceed to bite me in the but. *sighs * Oh well.

Comments copied from dA:

[coming soon; sorry]

CHAPTER 1 -_-_- Insomnia

Yugi brushed his teeth and tried not to fall asleep while the Pharaoh lectured him on avoiding enemies and not forgetting that he _was_ famous; stay away from mobs, avoid girls that breathe too deeply, if they say they're your biggest fan ask for their name so they could file a restraining order later. Yugi didn't really see the point of this; he wasn't i _that /i _much of a celebrity. He hadn't even won the Battle City finals yet, and it seemed like he might not be able to, either. Sure, he had somewhat of a famous name—the kid that beat Kaiba, the kid that beat Pegasus. He knew the pools for him as a favorite were strong; almost as strong as Kaiba's. Not that he kept track of the betting pools. Damn Joey. But this was so much more than a game, those guys had no idea—his friends were constantly in danger, even his very soul! Maniac after maniac demanding Shadow Games… and there wasn't anything Yugi could do about it. Turn down a duel? He couldn't! Besides—they always made sure to make the stakes of not playing too high to refuse. And no one could help him, because he didn't want to hurt them. Not Joey, not Tea, not Tristan, not even Seto "His Highness" Kaiba. Pffft, Seto. Running some kind of evil tournament. Did he have any idea what his creation had turned into? He probably didn't mean to kill anyone. ...Probably. God knew the Princess wouldn't worry too much if Yugi wound up on the obituaries after suffering from a strange coma after a "harmless" card game…

Note to self, he really _must_ tell his friends to keep him on life support, for the love of god keep him on life support, if he ever fell into a "coma" —coughgotstolenbytheshadowrealmcough.

He looked up in the mirror where the spectral illusion of the Pharaoh stood behind him, his arms crossed and his face unhappy. He wasn't mad at Yugi, just… not… exactly content. Yugi knew why—the Pharaoh had heard through their connection everything he'd thought; he hadn't bothered trying to shield his thoughts, which he could do if he thought about. And the Pharaoh knew exactly why Yugi was thinking them.

He was afraid, still afraid. i _What if the god cards get stolen? What if I can't complete the puzzle? People won't leave me alone, what do I do? I have so much homework from the tournament, oh god I'm going to drown. What if I get challenged to another Shadow Game but I lose this time? What happened to Yami Bakura, will he come back? /i_

"I'm sorry," he admitted finally, sighing. He put his fists against the sink and leaned over it, his eyes closed and his toothbrush still gripped in one. He couldn't feel the Pharaoh do it, but he could tell he'd put a hand on his physical counterpart's shoulder.

_i_ It's alright, /i he promised Yugi. He sounded genuine, but it wasn't a big surprise—the Pharaoh didn't lie in anything, at least as far as Yugi knew. He might have lied to make him happy, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know if the Pharaoh did or not. Yugi sighed again.

"It's really scary," he admitted. He could tell the Pharaoh nodded. "I don't want to lose any of you guys; these stakes are high. i Too /i high. If I didn't have your fate and the fate of the world on my shoulders, I might just drop card games altogether."

i _No you wouldn't_. /i It wasn't accusing, it was just the truth. The Pharaoh was never rude or sarcastic to him; he simply called things as he saw them. And the Pharaoh knew Yugi too well to believe for an instant that his latest statement could hold any validity. i You live for games, Yugi. Your desire to play them flows through your veins more thickly than blood. What's the chemical formula of glucose? /i

"Uhhhh…" Yugi started, knowing that he should know it; didn't he have a biology test coming up later that day?

i What's the attack, defense, type, and attribute of Dunames Dark Witch? /i

"Eighteen-hundred, ten-fifty, Light fairy!" he cried out proudly. The Pharaoh nodded to himself.

i And that one isn't even in your deck, /i the Pharaoh said. Yugi sighed, getting the point.

"I know," he said helplessly. "I know. I just… I feel so useless! I can't do anything to protect all of you, and I need to rely on i you /i for my i own /i safety! I can't do anything! Joey can fight in a real fight if he needs to, Tea's mind is so strong and sure, Tristan's so confident! And what can I do? Memorize some numbers on cards. Can I really make a future out of card games? I know some people can, and have, but… I'm not like them. I don't have what it takes." He leaned against the sink despondently, not really looking at anything. He could tell the Pharaoh was very not pleased.

i Yugi! /i he snapped, genuinely angry. i Don't say that! You aren't useless—there's a /i lot i you can do! Your happiness and your very soul brought all of us together to become the friends you have now! Your optimism and encouragement not only do but have brought all of us back from the brink in times of trouble. When an opponent or a particularly unfortunate situation has me shaken up, it's always been your support and friendship that has given me the courage and strength to pull through! And you're an incredible duelist in your own right, as well! Do not put down your own skills! /i

"Then I'm doomed to life as a support character?" he asked, staring at nothing again. The Pharaoh made a sound of disgust.

i Yugi, why are you acting like this? This isn't like you—are you sick? /i Yugi blinked slowly, pulling himself out of his stupor.

i It isn't fair of me to be scaring the Pharaoh like this, /i he thought in the deepest part of his mind, part he knew the Pharaoh couldn't reach. i I don't have any right to let my worry change who I am; my friends are strong for me, and I need to be strong for them. I _/i know i _I have their support, and I have to stop squandering that by letting my hopelessness get the best of me! /i He drew his hand into a fist and smiled confidently into the mirror. Even if hte Pharaoh hadn't heard his words, he had still been able to feel Yugi's emotions shift. He sighed with relief.

i I'm glad /i, was all he said. Yugi turned to him and smiled apologetically.

"You're right—I really shouldn't be worrying so much. There isn't much I can do, but what I can, I should. Everyone has their problems—Joey isn't the brightest star in the sky, after all, but when we all join our powers and abilities we become unstoppable!" The Pharaoh nodded to himself.

i Now /i that i sounds like my partner, /i he said. Yugi opened his mouth to say something else.

"Yugi! Are you on the phone at this hour? You need to eat or you'll be late for school!" Yugi panicked and threw his toothbrush into the sink and started pulling on his uniform.

* *

"Summon Skull! Attack his life points directly!" he shouted, pointing and gesticulating and everything even if his duel disk was safely tucked away in his backpack. Joey let out a loud groan and tilted back in his chair, putting a hand over his face.

"That stupid Needle Wall!" he shouted in dismay. "Three, not two! He doe'n't have any monsters in two! Ah jeez…" He looked at Yugi between his fingers and the enormous smile on his face. Joey dropped his hand and gave his friend a sort of irritated smile.

"You win again, Yug," he said, waving his hand passingly over the card field the two had made of their desks. Yugi had won by a landslide, not that anyone watching was surprised. Yugi didn't usually lose; in fact, none of them could remember the last time he _had_ lost.

Yugi's smile widened and he started gathering his cards.

"I guess," he admitted, "but I think we both won—that was a really fun game, Joey! And tight, too! I'm sure I felt my heart stop for a couple of seconds!" Joey snorted.

"Whaddya mean? Ya won by more 'n a landslide, Yug—ya buried me in an avalanche!" Yugi laughed at the joke as Joey started putting his cards back into one pile as well.

"Yeah," he said, "but a couple of turns ago when you had three monsters on the field and I didn't have any, I was sure I was toast!" It took a second, but Joey smiled.

"Yeah, I had ya on the ropes there, didn't I?" He tilted his head back and laughed, and Yugi's smile grew even larger.

"Hello there, guys." The two of them looked at Bakura, who was standing at the side of their desks. They hadn't noticed him among the cloud of students who had wanted to watch the duel; even if most of them weren't duelists themselves, they'd heard about the Battle City tournament and knew a little of Yugi's and even Joey's fame. After this duel many of them wondered why on earth so many people would be even interested in such a boring game; others were now even more interested than before.

"Hey there Baku—" Yugi started. He suddenly stopped. Bakura looked ragged, and tired. He didn't look hurt, just exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in a while. He didn't look right at all.

"Oi, Bakura, ya look _awful_!" Joey said, ever the user of tact. Bakura winced.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I don't seem to have been sleeping well lately." He blinked owlishly, but Yugi was certain that it wasn't just to reinforce his point. What on earth was with Bakura?

"Is anything the matter?" he asked, putting his deck in his backpack quickly before turning back to Bakura. Bakura shook his head. He staggered slightly, putting one hand to his head as if he was reeling. Yugi's arms twitched forward in response, but managed to stop himself. Bakura wasn't falling, although it looked close. The bags under his eyes were almost as dark as the skin of Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Just not… sleeping well…" he said. His shoulders jerked slightly and Yugi felt his concern flare.

"I think you should've stayed in bed," he said seriously, starting to stand up. Bakura shook his head, reeling again when he was finished; his eyes popped open wide and he lurched a little.

"No, no, there's no reason for that," he said, trying to smile reassuringly at them and failing spectacularly. "It's not that bad; I'm fine. Just a little… i yawn /i… tired…" His eyes fluttered closed, and he started to tilt to one side before abruptly catching himself.

"Come on," Yugi said, his voice firm and no-nonsense; he put one of Bakura's arms around his shoulders; he had to stand on his tip-toes to be any kind of support. "Let's go to the nurse's office. You can lie down there." Bakura seemed like he was about to protest, but no sound came. Joey blinked and had just opened his mouth and started to get up when the bell rang. Like a stage cue, the teacher walked in.

"Moto! Wheeler! Ryou! What do you think you're doing?!" the teacher demanded. Bakura jumped in surprise, putting a surprising amount of strain on Yugi. Once he'd settled, Yugi looked over his shoulder, but found that it didn't work; he lifted Bakura's arm up and peered from under it at their teacher.

"Bakura's not feeling well," he explained. "I was going to take him to the nurse's office." The teacher frowned, his brow furrowing. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"And why can't he go himself?" Yugi paused.

"Because… he's… not… feeling… well…" he said slowly, as if not really sure the teacher was actually asking him this. There was a pause, and then the teacher nodded huffily.

"Alright. Moto, take Ryou to the nurse's office. You have ten minutes! Now go!" Joey suddenly leapt up, slamming his hands on his desk.

"Now wait just a minute, there! I'm gonna go too, and help Yug out!" he shouted. "An' ten minutes i'n't enough time for i anyone /i to get to the nurse's office an' back when they're carryin' a sick—" Yugi held up one hand.

"It's okay, Joey," he said, smiling reassuringly at him. "I'll be fine with Bakura. You stay here and pay attention for me, okay?" Joey glared at him for a second, then at the teacher, then turned back to Yugi. With a resigned sigh he dropped back into his seat.

"Alright, Yug, what e'e' ya say." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head and put his feet up on the desk. Yugi started shuffling away, holding Bakura—who was slowly becoming heavier and heavier with each moment that passed—and listening to the teacher berate Joey for his "poor posture", something he knew Joey was absorbing none of.

"Ten minutes, Moto!" the teacher repeated right before he made it out the door. Yugi nodded once, thinking secretly to himself that the teacher was a bitter old fool who really needed to get—

i Yugi. /i Yugi didn't stop slowly shuffling with Bakura; it had taken a couple years, but he'd finally learned how to internalize reactions to the Pharaoh's abrupt emergences.

i What's up, Pharaoh? /i he asked as he dragged Bakura. He could feel the Pharaoh's unease deep inside of him; the Pharaoh hadn't slept since he'd awoken, but he hadn't said much of anything either since their conversation in the bathroom.

i Yugi. Doesn't Bakura's condition seem strange to you? /i the Pharaoh asked. Yugi blinked in surprise, but kept walking, feeling Bakura's weight drag against him. i He was gone for nearly a week in a row, and suddenly arrives today, looking as if he hasn't slept in months. Doesn't any of this seem suspicious to you? /i Yugi frowned and shifted Bakura's arm into a more comfortable position.

i I guess, /i he admitted, i especially when you put it that way. But what could it mean? I don't think Bakura's home-life is too bad, and it's not like he'd be staying up countless nights and fighting in this tournament, /i he added. He could feel the Pharaoh consenting to these points.

i True, but his condition still doesn't seem right. Whenever we've seen him he's been relatively happy—compared to you and Tristan and, especially, Joey, he may not have that high of energy, but he's always been better than this. This doesn't sit right with me, my partner. /i Yugi frowned as he helped Bakura down a stair case.

i It doesn't sit right with me either, /i he admitted, i but there's nothing we can do right now. Bakura's almost asleep as it is, and I can't learn anything until he's rested some. /i He felt the Pharaoh ascent to this.

i Very well. /i Yugi could feel the Pharaoh's presence start to lessen. i I will trust it unto you, then. /i He felt the Pharaoh recede until he was just the soft glow of consciousness somewhere in the back of his mind, just a little stronger than if he was sleeping.

The Pharaoh was watching.

He always watched Yugi.

"Come on, Bakura," Yugi said, his voice cheerful and reassuring. "We're almost there. Just down the hall." Bakura's eyelids fluttered in response, and Yugi felt him become even heavier. Yugi was almost sure his back was going to snap when he finally managed to force the door open and get Bakura to the bed. By now Bakura was more out of it than in, and Yugi had to physically push him onto the bed and straighten out his legs for him. He leaned over and panted audibly once Bakura was lying on the bed, seemingly already unconscious.

After his heavy breathing, Yugi took a careful look at Bakura's face.

He didn't seem hurt in any way; just tired. Exhausted, body and soul. There were deep circles under his eyes, and even as he slept his eyelids fluttered as if he was having a horribly vivid nightmare. Even in sleep Bakura looked troubled and helpless.

Yugi looked around, abruptly realizing that the nurse hadn't moved to help him. He noticed a sign on the door and sighed to himself—the nurse was out for all of today. Of course she would be. He turned back to Bakura, where he lay on his back with his arms sprawled out to his sides and his legs half-bent as if he was somewhere between sleeping on his back and sleeping on his side.

"Hey Bakura," he said quietly, not really expecting Bakura to answer. "Will you be okay if I leave you here alone to sleep?"

"Don't go… Yugi…" Bakura muttered, forcing his eyes open. Yugi blinked in surprise.

"You're still awake!" he cried. Bakura nodded weakly, just pulling his chin up and down in minute gestures.

"I've been… really lonely this last week…" he admitted, his eyes opening and closing like blinds again. "It's been horrible… I've been so alone…" His eyes stayed closed this time. Yugi looked at the clock, but it had already been fifteen minutes; he was late as it was, so he could see no harm in staying with Bakura.

"Sure," he said, smiling at Bakura and sitting on the edge of the bed. He could see the edges of Bakura's lips pull up in a slight smile.

"Thanks," he said. There was silence for a second, and then Yugi felt himself unable to resist asking.

"What's wrong, Bakura? Really? Why are you so tired like this? And where have you been?" There was silence for a couple of long moments, in which Yugi worried. But then Bakura answered.

"I can't…" he started. Yugi's eyes climbed up his forehead; Bakura was shaking his head back and forth, using what little energy he had. "I just… I can't…" Yugi reached forward to put a hand on his chest and calm him, but Bakura hugged himself with one arm so tightly and so suddenly that there was no room in Yugi's mind for doubt that it had been a defensive measure against him.

"Bakura…" he started without realizing he was speaking; he was surprised by how sad and hurt his voice was. He watched as the tension in Bakura's body released helplessly.

"I'm sorry… Yugi. Things have been… really hard… lately." He opened his eyes a little, and stared at the ceiling. His brown eyes seemed sad and faraway, and somewhat… scared. Scared and lost and confused and, most of all, completely without hope. "I don't know what to do. And there's no one I can talk to…" Yugi was suddenly leaning over him, one hand resting over his heart and his face distraught.

"You can talk to me, Bakura! We're friends! You know that I'll always help you whenever I can!" he shouted. Bakura shook his head.

"No, Yugi. Especially… especially not you." Yugi leaned back, surprisingly hurt by this statement.

i It's alright, Yugi, /i the Pharaoh said, reemerging at his partner's distress. i Whatever's causing him to stay awake must be messing with his mind; why else would he seem so helpless? I sense something very dark at work here, Yugi. I'm not sure it's safe to associate with Bakura anymore. /i

i Pharaoh! /i Yugi cried out helplessly. i How can you think that?! I don't know what's going on with Bakura, but he needs us now more than ever! How can you say we should stay away?! /i He looked at Bakura, his eyes pained. i He /i needs i us, Pharaoh. /i

i Partner, /i the Pharaoh started. Bakura opened his eyes and looked at Yugi.

"I'm really sorry for worrying you… Yugi…" he said. "Why don't you… go back…? I'll be okay…" Yugi looked at him, but he realized there was nothing else he could really do. Bakura was worrying him—one moment he wanted him there, and the next he clearly wanted him go. The Pharaoh tugging at his attention and trying to make him leave wasn't helping either.

i There's nothing you can do for him if he won't let you, /i the Pharaoh said firmly. i I know you want to help, but there's nothing you can do. Give him some time—we can find out more later. /i

"Alright," he said aloud to both of them. He stood up and threw Bakura a final glance. "I'll come check on you after school, okay?"

This time Bakura really was asleep.


	3. Chapter 2: Yami no Geemu

Going to have a lot of formatting errors for a little bit because I originally wrote these for deviantArt, which means I used i and /i for italics instead of actually italicizing. I'll fix it ASAP, I"m just too tired to do it right now, sorry.

Comments copied from dA:

[coming soon; sorry]

Chapter 2 -_-_- Yami no Geemu

"Yug! … Earth to Yug! … Wake up or I'm gonna rip up yer Dark Magician!"

"Not my Dark Magician!" he cried out in terror, suddenly lurching forward. Tristan and Tea laughed, but not as hard as Joey.

"I knew that'd wake 'im up," he said smugly. Yugi blinked and looked at the three of them.

"What time is it?" he asked, looking at the clock.

"Two-ten," Tea said. "You've been totally out of it for the last twenty minutes or so; the teacher's let us socialize for a little bit before the day ends." Yugi nodded to himself slowly.

"Yeah… I guess I have," he admitted.

"Still worried about Bakura?" Tristan asked. Yugi nodded. He'd told them about between passing periods, and during lunch the four of them had gone to check on him in the nurse's office. The bed had been empty, and a passing teacher managed to tell them that Bakura had gone home for the day. Yugi twitched his pencil back and forth agitatedly, which he abruptly realized he'd been doing for the last… twenty minutes had Tea said?… while he worried about Bakura.

"He was acting so weirdly… and he seemed so weak," he added. Tristan shook his head.

"You don't need to justify it to us, dude. We know how you are. Still going to stop by his house when school's done?" Yugi nodded again. "I'm sorry I can't go with you though—I ipromised/i my mom I'd help her set up for her tupperware dinner—" Tristan made a face "—and I'll never hear the end of it if I back out now." Yugi smiled reassuringly at him.

"It's okay," he promised. "I'll be fine by myself." Tea had to work and Joey had received triple detentions, and a couple days ago Yugi and he had made a bet—if Yugi won a duel, Joey had to stay and do his detentions like a model student. And Yugi never lost—even if Joey had put forth so much energy and effort into the match Yugi had had to rely on the Pharaoh's strength. "Besides," he added, putting his hands on either side of the Millennium Puzzle, "I'm never really alone, right?"

iOf course, my partner, /i the Pharaoh said.

"But Yug…" Joey started. Yugi shook his head.

"It's alright, really," he promised them. "I'll be fine—Bakura's a friend, too. It's not like I'm going towards a duel."

"Yeah, but what 'bout all those duelists in town for Battle City?!" Joey cried out anyway. "E'en i without /i your duel disk people'll still know you're Yugi Moto! And they'll be able to guess that even without your duel disk you'll still have your deck!" Yugi smiled embarassedly.

"Come on, you guys!" he cried. "You over-exaggerate myself my fame i way /i too much! Guys; I can take care of myself!" Joey and Tristan exchanged a look.

"icough/iburningwarehouseicough/i," Tristan "coughed". Yugi scowled.

"But this is different! I promise I won't give my puzzle to any mysterious fortune tellers, okay? I won't talk to any strangers!" Now it was Joey's turn to cough.

"Unlessthey'rewearingadueldiskicough/i." He suddenly started coughing for real; Tea hit his back, but Tristan was too busy laughing.

"Joey swallowed his spit!" he cackled. Joey grimaced at him.

"Bye guys!" They all looked towards the door where Yugi was leaning against the frame, smiling and waving. He suddenly disappeared around the trim.

"Be safe!" Tea called after him at the same time Tristan shouted, "I haev my cell if you get in trouble!" Tea elbowed him while he laughed.

Joey stared after Yugi, a bad feeling in the depths of his stomach. If Joey hadn't made that deal he would be following Yugi right now—but he never broke a promise, at least not one he'd made with a friend.

But that didn't make him want to follow Yugi any less.

* *

Yugi craned his neck and tried to look at the numbers on the other apartment doors. 600… 602… Yes, this was definitely Bakura's apartment. He was admittedly nervous; he'd never been to Bakura's house before. And he'd been acting so strangely… what if he didn't even let him in?

iIt's alright,/i the Pharaoh promised him. iIf he doesn't let you in, the there would have been nothing you could do to help him, anyway./i

iPharaoh.../i Yugi thought. iI have to help him, no matter what./i

iI know./i

He knocked on the door and held his breath. Several moments passed without any response.

iYugi.../i the Pharaoh started. Yugi shook his head and knocked on the door again. iI do not want to crush your hopes, but—/i

Yugi knocked violently on the door a third time in response.

"Who… is it…?" a weak British voice from the other side of the door said. Even though he must have been leaning against the door, Yugi could barely hear him.

iThat's why he didn't answer earlier!/i he told the Pharaoh. He seemed unimpressed.

"Bakura, it's me, Yugi! I just wanted to make sure you're okay!" There was silence for a second, then the sounds of a scuffle. "Bakura!" Yugi shouted, feeling his heart jump into his throat. "Bakura?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine… Just tripped," Bakura said. Yugi blinked; he didn't sound nearly as weak now. The door unlocked. "Why don't you come in, Yugi? I'm sure you must be hungry or tired—it's a long walk from here to the school, or even to the nearest bus stop."

"Thanks Bakura—" Yugi started.

iYugi, don't./i Yugi blinked in confusion.

iPharaoh, what is it now? You've been so panicky all day…/i he replied, pushing hte door open and starting to wriggle out of his shoes.

iYugi! I'm getting a bad feeling about this—Bakura's been acting strangely all day. Too strangely. I don't like this. What if he's being controlled by Marik?/i Yugi blinked in surprise as he walked into the apartment.

iMarik? No way… that doesn't seem right at all! Wouldn't Marik have had him as close to me as he could manage? But instead he's been gone for a week, and when he /i does i finally come back to school he's so exhausted he can't do anything!/i

iThat would explain why he's so tired; Marik has Bakura running errands for him./i

iLike what?! Bakura isn't very strong, and he isn't famous or have any trace of an intimidating personality. He's smart, but Marik would be using his own mind. I like Bakura, but I have to say that he wouldn't be that much use to him. He doesn't even duel./i

iI don't know, Yugi,/i the Pharaoh finally said. iBut this sits poorly with me. Please, Yugi, don't enter that apartment./i Yugi blinked and abruptly realized he was already standing inside the door in the brightly lit main room of Bakura's apartment. His first thought was to look at Bakura and see if he looked any better. But he got distracted.

"Woooooow!" he shouted without thinking, looking around the walls. Glass case after glass case lined the walls, all the way from the floor to the ceilings. In them were the three-inch tall, vibrantly painted plastic figures of Monster World, the most popular board-game/tabletop RPG in Japan. There were only a few places that were devoid of the glass cases; the front door, the window under which sat a desk, and two other doors set in two different walls. "Bakura! This is amazing!" He turned once and saw Bakura sitting in a chair at the desk. He still looked tired, but better. His eyes were sharp and clear, and he was watching Yugi like a hawk.

He smiled, and though his face warmed, it didn't seem to reach as far into his eyes as it should.

"I'm glad you're impressed, Yugi. I really love Monster World, and it makes me happy that you do too." Yugi looked at him, thinking.

iThis isn't normal for him,/i the Pharaoh said. Yugi shushed him and looked around the room again.

"Yeah… I've never actually played it before, but it looks really fun!" He rested his hand on his front right pocket absentmindedly. "I've been really busy with Duel Monsters though, not that I mind." Bakura tilted his head to one side, never taking his brown eyes off of Yugi.

"You're in the tournament, aren't you?" Bakura asked. "That big one that's being hosted by Kaiba… Battle City?" Yugi nodded and smiled at him; Bakura didn't smile back. Yugi frowned internally. Bakura seemed less tired, but he didn't seem any closer to normal.

"Yeah, Bakura. I didn't know you were that big of a fan of Duel Monsters," Yugi admitted. He could feel the Pharaoh in the back of his mind. He was not happy, but he was keeping quiet. Bakura smiled a little, but it was a sort of curious, knowing smile, not a friendly one. Yugi felt a finger of cold crawl up his spine.

"I'm rather interested," he admitted, pushing himself out of his chair. It looked like it took him a lot of effort, and he leaned against the desk once he was standing up. "I even have a deck…" He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a small stack of cards. He looked at them for a second before resting them on the desk. "I'm not in the tournament, though. I was too busy with… things." He looked again at Yugi and blinked slowly. "It's rather interesting, though, don't you think? Eight duelists competing in finals that no one knows the location of, hosted by our own Seto Kaiba, with the title of King of Games at stake as well as the Egyptian God Cards…"

Yugi felt his body stiffen.

"The Egyptian Gods…?" he asked, his mouth dry. He was smiling, but he knew it was weak and forced and looked it. "What are you talking about, Bakura? Egyptian God Cards? Sounds powerful!" He flashed his smile at Bakura, but again he didn't smile back. He just stood there, and looked at him, his expression curious and analyzing.

iYugi get out of here now!/i the Pharaoh shouted. iHe shouldn't know that! The only ones who know about the God Cards are those directly involved with them! Marik, Seto, Ishizu, us, the Rare Hunters, and anyone who's faced them in a duel before! You have to get out!/i

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Yugi said, trying to make his voice sound casual, "but I really have to go now. I promised my Grandpa I'd pick up a cardboard cut-out of Kaiba from this part of town for him to show the shoppers that he's selling cards for the tournament. I just figured since I was going to be passing by I'd come to see how you were." He turned towards the door, but a crash drew his attention back to the desk. To his confusion, there was no one there.

He turned back towards hte door and jumped; Bakura was already standing there, his back straight and a blatantly cruel smile on his face. He was holding his Duel Monsters deck and was shuffling it by constantly cutting it in half.

"Why don't you stay just a little longer, Yugi? I haven't been feeling very well… It would make me very…" He looked at one of his hands, using his thumbnail to work at one of his fingernails. "…happy." He looked back up at Yugi, and his grin was even wider.

iYugi!/i the Pharaoh shouted. Yugi suddenly felt himself shunted to the side as the Pharaoh pushed himself through.

"Bakura! Let us out!" he shouted. The grin on Bakura's face became ecstatic and he let the cards cascade to the ground; as if an unfelt wind swept through the room, his hair suddenly seemed to grow wilder as the look in his eyes grew crueler.

"Well well well!" he shouted, throwing his arms out to either side. "If the Pharaoh hasn't graced us with his presence! Have you finally seen it fit to grace our lowly lives with your presence?" He threw his head back and laughed. Yami glared at him, grinding his teeth together.

"Who are you?!" he demanded. "And don't claim to be Bakura Ryou! I can tell well enough that you aren't! Is it you, Marik?!" Bakura laughed again.

"How cruel!" he taunted, looking back at Yami. His smile remianed, but now every part of his expression seemed to drip of arrogance, to the narrowing of his eyes to the tilt of his head. "You don't even remember me, Pharaoh?! What a cruel king you are! Maybe ithis/i will refresh your memory!" He reached into his shirt and with a flourish pulled out something large and gold.

"No!" Yami shouted in horror. But there was no doubt—the eye of Horus was staring back at him, so much like the eye on his Millennium Puzzle. "The Millennium Ring! But Tristan told me—"

"Oh please, Pharaoh!" Yami Bakura laughed. "You put too much faith in your petty friends! The Millennium Items are forces mere mortals could never possibly hope to understand! And the ways they work are just as enigmatic! But I suppose you won't have to worry for too long," he added, his expression turning sly. "After all, I plan on taking iyours/i from you very soon." Yami wrapped his hand as far around the Millennium Puzzle as he could protectively. He braced himself and ground his teeth in fury.

"I will never let you have this puzzle, you snake!" he shouted. He could feel Yugi's fright deep within him, but he tried to push it away; he couldn't worry about Yugi right now. Keeping the puzzle safe was the only way to keep the two of them safe, as well. Bakura looked unperturbed.

"Oh what, 'over your dead body'? If you hadn't cast me into the ring by destroying my body I would have!" He brought his hands up in front of his face, palms upward, and curled his fingers. "But it's no matter now, is it?! All of the Millennium Items have surfaced, and now it's up to me to simply gather them! And I'll start with yours!" He pointed at Yami and suddenly the room grew dark.

Enormous purple/black clouds boiled around them, the dim sounds of thunder in the distance. Every once in a while the clouds would flash as if lightning burned deep within them, but there was never anything else to break up the monotony of the surrounding world.

"The Shadow Realm!" Yami spat in fury. Yami Bakura laughed again.

"How attentive you've been, Pharaoh! So you can remember this place, but not me? I'm so offended!" He laughed again and Yami felt deep within him towards Yugi; he needed his partner's support right now—he had no idea what the spirit of the Millennium Ring planned to do to him now that he was here.

But Yugi wasn't there.

"Yugi!" he shouted. His head snapped up and he glared at Yami Bakura, who stared back at him with an arrogant smirk. "What have you done to my partner, you snake?!" Yami Bakura's grin widened and he gestured around them.

"Ask the Shadow Realm that, dear Pharaoh!" he cried. "It does as it will, and no more!"

"It does as it needs to to meet the rules of a Shadow Game!" he shouted. "So what game are you planning?!"

"Touche, dear Pharaoh! There seems to be some form of a brain beneath that glowing Eye of Horus after all!" Yami Bakura cried. Suddenly forty Duel Monsters cards appeared in front of them, all of them face-down and in attack position. They flew to the no-man's land between them and arranged themselves into two groups of twenty, five cards wide and four cards deep. "Tell me, Pharaoh, have you ever played the modern-day game of Concentration?" He took a step forward, up to the edge of the cards. Yami didn't move.

"In the game, there are an even number of face-down cards," Yami Bakura continued, picking up a card with two fingers on his side and looking at it nonchalantly. "They have matching patterns—usually for children apples or birds or xylophones or some other brightly-colored nonsense. The players take turns flipping two cards over; if they match, the cards are removed from play and the player gathers them. If the player is right, they get to go again. The positions of cards that are turned back over remain the same, so you can use your opponent's turns to help guide you to victory, as well. At the end of the game, the player who has the most pairs wins." He looked up at Yami as he placed the card back down, his expression contemptuous. The cards moved by themselves, sliding as if over an invisible plane so that each card was now in a new position. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," Yami said flatly, "but these are Duel Monsters cards. What do you intend to do?" he demanded. Yami Bakura flashed a dark grin at him.

"The game we will be playing will be very much like Concentration, Pharaoh. Before you are twenty face-down Monster Cards; Monster Cards from your very own deck!" He gestured at the cards in front of him. "And in front of my are twenty of my own Monsters! We'll each take turns flipping the cards over; one of our own, and then one of our opponent's. If the attacks of the cards match, then both cards are removed from play."

"And the person with the most pairs wins?" Yami asked, folding his arms contemptuously. Yami Bakura smiled dangerously and wagged a finger at him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself itoo/i much Pharaoh! This is my game, and iI/i am the only one who knows the rules, don't forget that! If you want to know what you're doing, you'd better shut that royal mouth of yours and listen, hadn't you?" Yami glared at him.

"We will inot/i be collecting pairs," he continued, "as you oh-so-stupidly guessed. This game's winner is not decided by how many pairs we have—you win when your opponent either runs out of monsters or their Lifepoints hit zero."

"Lifepoints?!" Yami shouted. Yami Bakura glared at him, not looking so amused this time.

"There's that 'quiet' thing again, Pharaoh. If you're that eager to play we can skip the rules and start, and I'll let you wallow in your ignorance!" Yami said nothing. "As I was saying, your opponent can also lose if his Lifepoints hit zero. We each start the game with 4000 Lifepoints.

"And now here is where this game takes the largest turn from it's humble roots—if you happen to pick a monster with a higher attack than my monster, then the difference is taken from my Lifepoints and my monster is destroyed, and your monster is turned face-down. Just like in Duel Monsters, eh, Pharaoh?" Yami said nothing, and Yami Bakura smirked. "It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks, can't you? Anyway, if you attack my monster and destroy it, the difference is dealt to my lifepoints. But if you attack my monster and have iless/i attack, then the difference is dealt to your Lifepoints instead, and iyour/i monster is destroyed while mine stays on the field! If the attacks are equal, both monsters are destroyed but neither of our Lifepoints take damage, and the player who selected can go again. Do you understand so far? You may answer, this time," he added.

"Yes," Yami said flatly. Yami Bakura smiled.

"You know, I rather like this quiet version of you. No long rants about the 'Heart of the Cards' or preaching about 'friendship'!" He scoffed and waved one hand airly. "Anyway, there are a few more rules to this game, dear Pharaoh. For one thing, when it is your turn you do not ihave/i to attack one of your opponent's monsters. You can either attack or flip a monster face-up. When a monster is flipped face-up, it will remain in face-up position for the entirety of the game, unless one of your monsters effects allows it to turn face-down again. And that's another rule in itself—the effects of monsters still work. But I'll get to that later, shall I? When you flip a monster face-up, any Flip Effects it has will happen; Flip Effects are also activated when one of my monsters attacks one of yours.

"You may turn a monster to Defense Mode, but only if it is already face-up. If a monster in Defense Mode is defeated, the difference is not taken from your Lifepoints. But in return, you cannot choose a Defense Mode monster to attack. Nod your head if you understand, Pharaoh—I'm rather enjoying not having to listen to your voice." Yami nodded. "Excellent. I believe that is all you need to know."

"Who will go first?" Yami demanded; now that Yami Bakura was done explaining Yami felt no need to continue his silence. Yami Bakura smiled.

"Not so fast, Pharaoh! Before you inadvertently accept my game, don't you want to know the stakes of this Shadow Game?!" Yami just glared at him. Yami Bakura raised his arms. "Come, stakes!" Out of the clouds appeared two objects; Yugi, unconscious and hanging spread-eagle in the air with his arms bound by dark circles of the matter that composed the Shadow Realm, and the Millennium Puzzle, its chain dangling limply.

"Yugi! My Puzzle!" he shouted. He instinctively grabbed for the puzzle against his chest, but his hand came down on only empty air. "How did you get them, Bakura?!"

"iI/i did nothing," he laughed. "They are the stakes for the Shadow Game, Pharaoh, so the Shadow Realm will act on its own to set the playing field! If you win, you get your precious little Yugi back, as well as your pathetic Puzzle! But if iwin/i, I not only get your puzzle, but I'll send Yugi's soul to the shadows, as well!" He threw his head back and laughed yet again; Yami tightened his hands into fists.

"I refuse!" Yami shouted. "The stakes are too high! If you lose you lose nothing, but if I lose I lose everything!" Yami Bakura shook his head, making a "tsk tsk tsk" with his tongue as he did.

"I wouldn't be so rash, Pharaoh! You risk too imuch/i to refuse! I have the power to send little Yugi to the shadows whether you duel or not! And if you truly refuse, I'll have no problem sending him on his way to be devoured!" Yami flinched, his eyes narrowing further.

"Then adjust your stakes!" he shouted. Yugi's eyelids started to flutter. Yami Bakura shook his head, but then shrugged helplessly, the gesture insincere.

"Very well," he said, "I see no reason why not, especially since I don't intend to lose!" He snapped his fingers and two more objects appeared out of the clouds; the Millennium Ring and the unconscious figure of Bakura, held in the air in the same way Yugi was.

"Bakura!" Yugi shouted in fright, seeing Bakura. He noticed the dark circles around the Bakura's wrists and ankles and whipped his head around, looking straight at where he expected the Pharaoh to be; and he was right. "Pharaoh!" he cried out. The Pharaoh stared up at him, his face etched with anger and worry.

"Yugi!" Yugi looked around him, taking the whole situation in. He seemed sick.

"This is a Shadow Game, isn't it?" he asked weakly. Yami opened his mouth to speak, but Yami Bakura beat him to it.

"Well isn't the host of the Pharaoh just the smartest little thing ever?! Yes, little Yugi, welcome again to the Shadow Realm!" He threw his arms out to either side. "It's missed you, hasn't it?" Some of the cloud next to Yugi bulged, nearly grazing his side. He flinched, and Yami cried out. Yami Bakura laughed. "No need to fear yet, little Yugi! There's still a chance your knight in shining armor will save you, isn't there?" he asked mockingly. Yami growled at him.

"Well Pharaoh, are you satisfied?" Yami Bakura asked, gesturing to his unconscious host and his Millennium Ring. "Now if I lose, I lose my Millennium Ring to you and the soul of my host! You can't deny that everything is fair now!"

"Lose the hosts," Yami spat. "I will not play if their souls are at stake." Yami Bakura shook his head.

"No deal, haughty little Pharaoh. The soul of my pathetic host is one of my advantages against you—I want to shake your resolve, make you not iwant/i to win. I know that losing the soul of my host won't hurt iyou/i, but imagine how much it will shatter your own host?" He laughed darkly; Yami could imagine how much pain Yugi would be in if Bakura was forfeited to the shadows. "You might say it's dastardly and dishonorable of me, but I'd like you to recall a time when that's stopped me. I'm here to win, Pharaoh, and I won't clear the obstacles for you!" Yami ground his teeth, but there was nothing he could—Yami Bakura wouldn't spare Bakura ior/i Yugi. These were the final stakes; he couldn't possibly hope to get them changed again.

"Yugi…" he started, looking up at this partner. Yugi shook his head at him, his violet eyes strong and determined.

"Don't worry about me, Pharaoh! I believe in you and the monsters who have shared so many of our duels! They won't let us down, I just know it!"

"But your friend…"

"We'll find a way to save him," Yugi said, the reassuring smile on his face genuine. "I don't want to lose him to the shadows either, but we're clever and strong, you and I—if anyone could figure out how to get him back, it'd be us!" Yami blinked at his partner's strength. He clenched his hand.

"Very well, my partner. I thank you for your confidence." He turned to Yami Bakura, his expression full of hate and determination. "I accept your Shadow Game." Yami Bakura grinned, his most cruel and blood-thirsty iteration of the expression yet.

"Excellent."


	4. Chapter 3: I Refuse to Lose

I wanted to have this next chapter up before I went for my 12 (which turned out to be 14-day Orz|||) vacation, but I had greatly underestimated its complexity and how FREAKING MUCH WORK IT WAS OMG. _____ I honestly don't think I can or WILL write another game/duel like this AGAIN unless I can get someone to play with me and we can just document what happens turn-by-turn. These are just too damn complicated. I had to keep track of Lifepoints, monsters, turns, while putting in all the little special scenarios… I didn't even get to use all the ones I wanted to because of complexity (and poor planning on my part .). So… as you can tell, I skipped them using their own cards (and by that I mean they're "technically" using their own decks, but if you know anything about them these aren't their decks [and that's because it would have been a whole 'nother level of OMG WTF DO I DO?! D8;;; that I did NOT want to deal with *dies a little inside *]), so… sorry. ^_^;;;; In short, it was hard, and I hated it, but I hope you at least enjoy reading it. From here it gets… different. 8DDDDD;;

~Atakiri

PS And somebody asked me this, so I'm just going to confirm—I DID make up the rules for the Duel Monsters Concentration; if you know of another game that's similar or even the same (eep O_o;;;) I swear I did not hear of it before hand.

Chapter 3 -_-_- I Refuse to Lose

"You can go first," Yami Bakura said arrogantly, moving around to his side of the cards. Yami took his place in front of his own. "After all, this is my game, I might as well give you a handicap."

"Do what you will, snake," he spat. He looked at his cards, looking at the blank backs. Who knew what lied under each card? He believed in his cards; he truly believed they wouldn't let him down, and somehow he _knew_ that they wouldn't. _We can do it, _he thought, speaking directly to the cards and Yugi. Somehow he could tell what Yugi would say.

_I know you can._

Numbers appeared in the air behind them, thin, burning numbers that blazed orange against the purple clouds. 4000, 4000.

"Monster, lend me your strength!" he shouted; his voice boomed in the silence of the Shadow Realm just like in the middle of a Duel. He threw his arm forward, pointing directly at the black heart of one of the cards. It didn't move.

"Didn't I say, Pharaoh?" Yami Bakura asked sarcastically. "The cards don't flip over until you've chosen both." Yami scowled, but pointed at one of Yami Bakura's.

"Go, my beast!" he shouted. Both cards flipped over at the same time; Yami felt his heart drop for a moment. Kuriboh; one of his closest monsters, but too weak. How could it be enough? He looked at Yami Bakura's card and felt his face his face crack into a triumphant smile.

"My Kuriboh has one hundred more attack than your Dragon Piper!" he shouted, glaring Yami Bakura right in the eye. With a scream, the card shattered into a million triangular pieces, just like when a monster was destroyed in a holographic duel. The Kuriboh turned over. Yami Bakura's arrogant smirk never slipped, even as the numbers unwound themselves like snakes behind him and moved into new numbers.

"Good job, Pharaoh," Yami Bakura said. "I like seeing hope on your face—it lets me know that it'll crush you all the more when you lose." He stared at the face-down card thoughtfully. "How fortunate, though; the one monster in my cards that could be defeated by your little mud-covered puff ball." He raised his eyes to Yugi's and glared at him triumphantly. "I purposefully part that card in there to spark that hope; thank you for taking it out of the game so early!" He pointed at two cards using his index and middle fingers.

"Go! Destroy his pathetic monster!" The two cards turned over, revealing Kuriboh and a Mad Sword Beast. There was another cry, different this time, as Kuriboh shattered. Yami grunted in pain as his Lifepoints dropped. "Incredible how quickly this game can turn, isn't it?" Yami Bakura asked, smirking. "Now I'm beating you by a thousand points." He shrugged. "Oh well, go again, Pharaoh."

Yami scowled, but pointed at two cards.

"Destroy his monster with your might!" he shouted. The two cards turned over; his own Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress and Yami Bakura's The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams. The ghost's scream echoed through the quiet before it shattered. Yami Bakura laughed at something Yami couldn't see.

"Very well, Pharaoh!" Yami Bakura shouted. "I choose these two cards!" They turned over; Yami's Beaver Warrior and Yami Bakura's The Portrait's Secret. Two screams shook the clouds around them and both cards shattered. "Well it looks like I guessed right!" He smirked at Yami, who scowled bitterly at him. "Then I will choose these two! Attack!" Yami Bakura's Dragon Zombie destroyed Yami's Koumori Dragon. "Well well Pharaoh—you take another hit. Are you too scared to continue?" He glared haughtily at Yami, who glared back at him with all the loathing he could muster.

"Attack my beast!" he shouted in response. The two cards turned over; his own Skull Red Bird to a Headless Knight. A muffled cry of pain; the Headless Knight shattered.

"Incredible, Pharaoh," Yami Bakura scoffed, even as his fiery numbers moved. "How unfortunate you are! You keep choosing monsters that only win by a hundred points. Is someone losing his touch?" He pointed at two cards before Yami could answer. "Cards!" he shouted.

The two cards turned over—his own Penguin Soldier and Yugi's Mystical Elf. A squawking cry rang through the heavy air and the Penguin Solider shattered.

"What was that about my luck?" he asked, showing a little of his own arrogance. He crossed his arms and smirked. "You just so happened to choose one of the few monsters my Mystical Elf could defeat! It would seem that you're loosing your touch as well." The numbers behind Yami Bakura shifted again. Yami Bakura's smirk didn't shift.

"You might have destroyed my Penguin Soldier, but it's effect will take much more from you!" The cry sounded again, stronger this time, angry and determined. The Penguin Soldier itself appeared over the field—not the card, but the monster itself—waving its sword angrily. "Go my Penguin Soldier! Destroy two of his monsters!" With a war cry, the penguin pierced first one card and then a second one; the two cards shattered without turning over. The penguin shrieked in triumph before being blown away by a nonexistent wind as if it was made of smoke.

"No!" Yami shouted, looking at the gaps in the neat rows of cards. "That isn't right! Penguin Soldier's effect sends two of my monsters back to my _hand_, not to the graveyard!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Yami Bakura asked, sounding pleased with himself. "There is no hand, or graveyard, so all cards are removed from play! Only cards that call a monster from the graveyard can be used to resummon these monsters—which have to stay in face-up position—_not_ cards that call monsters from your hands."

"Damn you, Bakura!" he shouted. "All rules to the Shadow Game must be told before it begins!" Yami Bakura shrugged.

"What can I say, Pharaoh? I just forgot," he said "innocently". He laughed darkly and Yami ground his teeth together.

"My turn!" he shouted, cutting Yami Bakura's laughter short. "I turn over this card—my Mystical Elf!" The card he pointed to turned over. "I set her in Defense Mode and end my turn." The card rotated by itself. Yami Bakura smirked.

"Very well, Pharaoh!" Yami Bakura said, crossing his arms. "I don't believe it'll help you though!" He pointed to two of the face-down cards on the field. "Consume his Lifepoints!" The two cards turned over; a triumphant smirk settled over Yami's face for a moment before turning to horror. His card was a Gemini Elf, one of the most powerful normal 4-star monsters. But Yami Bakura's card was Patrician of Darkness. A card with 2000 attack.

Gemini Elf shattered as the fiery ropes that were his Lifepoints rearranged themselves.

"Dammit!" Yami swore under his breath.

"You can do it!" Yugi shouted from where he hung against the boiling sky. "Believe in the heart of the cards, Pharaoh! I believe in you! You can win this!" Yami looked up at his partner and smiled. Yugi smiled back. He'd forgotten for a moment that Yugi was watching this game as well. He could suddenly feel his partner's presence like a field of electricity around him. He felt confidence surge through him, knowing that his partner was there, cheering him on.

Yami nodded once to him before turning back to the duel.

"I won't let your luck faze me, Bakura!" he shouted, his voice reinvigorated by the reminder of Yugi's presence. Instead of looking cowed by this surge of confidence, Yami Bakura looked delighted. "I believe in the heart of the cards, and my bond with Yugi! Our friendship will not be broken by some foolish game! Come, my monster! Destroy his Patrician of Darkness!" He pointed to two cards; the first one turned over on his side, and he felt a stutter of horror in his heart; Man-eating Treasure Chest. That was only 1600 attack; not nearly enough to destroy his Patrician of Darkness. Had the heart of the cards failed him?

"Tch." He looked up to see Yami Bakura grimacing, staring at his card that had been turned over. He looked as well and felt his eyebrows climb up his forehead. The card that had been turned over was a Baron of the Fiend Sword, not the Patrician of Darkness. Before his eyes the card shattered, and Yami Bakura's Lifepoints rearranged themselves into a new number.

2700, 3600.

"Impressive once again, Pharaoh." He looked into Yami's eyes, and he wasn't smiling so much anymore. He looked frustrated. "Even when you make a mistake you aren't wrong." His smirk returned, but it was more an expression of anger than contemptuous amusement. "But I won't allow you to be so lucky now!" He pointed to one of his cards, one right next to the gap left by his Baron of the Fiend Sword, which Yami knew housed the Patrician of Darkness. "I flip my Patrician of Darkness over, locking him in Attack Mode! Move _now_ Pharaoh! What will you do when the only monster you can attack is my Patrician of Darkness?!"

Yami stared at the card, his brow furrowed in concentration. He knew the Patrician of Darkness' effect was to make it so Yami Bakura got to choose the attack target of all of Yami's attacking monsters, and knowing Yami Bakura he would use the power so that all of his attacking monsters _had_ to attack _it_. This meant that he couldn't target any of the face-down cards in the hopes that they were weaker. His only hope was to believe in the heart of the cards and trust them to save him.

"My monster! Attack, and take my faith with you!" he shouted. The card flipped over. It's attack wasn't nearly enough to destroy Bakura's Patrician of Darkness. But its effect was.

It shattered with a scream, and the numbers behind Yami changed. But his smirk didn't.

"You may not know this, Bakura, but my Newdoria comes with a special effect—when it's destroyed in battle it can destroy one monster! And I choose your Patrician of Darkness!" Heavy beats shook the ground, jarring both Yami and Yami Bakura; the cards didn't move. A massive creature suddenly appeared behind Yami, towering over him. It glared at Yami Bakura with sightless eyes, who took a step back, his face set in an aggressive scowl. "Destroy his card, my monster!" The Newdoria let out a howl and brought one of its limp hands crashing down onto the Patrician of Darkness. It cast a shock-wave out, making some of the cards spin and fly into the air as the Patrician of Darkness shattered with an agonizing keen. The cards that had been sent flying flew back to their proper places and settled once more, seeming as if they'd never been disturbed. The Newdoria blew away like smoke, just like the Penguin Soldier before it.

Yami Bakura scowled.

"Count your blessings, Pharaoh! You were fortunate this time, but next time you won't be so lucky!" He pointed to two of the cards, then brought his hand up and pointed them straight at Yami's heart. The two cards flipped over; Yami flinched as his monster—and a hundred of his Lifepoints—were destroyed.

"You can do it Pharaoh!" Yugi shouted, suffusing all of his hope and faith in his voice. Yami clenched his fists; he couldn't let Yugi down. Not Yugi, not to an enemy as despicable and loathsome as the spirit of the Millennium Ring.

"I'll protect you, my partner!" he shouted, flinging his hand out, his fingers spread wide. "I'll protect my puzzle and our future! I will not fail you!" He pointed to two cards. "Destroy his monster!" He scowled bitterly; a tie. The two shattered, but he ignored them—he was already on to the next two. "Attack!" The two turned over and Yami laughed with victory—his Fairy King Truesdale had a thousand more attack than Yami Bakura's Pyramid Turtle.

"Now Pharaoh, really—why on _earth_ would you be laughing now?" Yami Bakura asked, his voice sly and dark, even as the fiery numbers moved behind him and his card shattered with a scream. Yami fell silent, eyeing Yami Bakura warily. "Didn't you notice, Pharaoh? What color was my card?" Yami's eyes widened.

"It was an effect monster!"

"Ding ding ding, we have a _winner,_ Pharaoh," he said, his voice dripping with scorn. "And my Pyramid Turtle allows me to summon one zombie-type monster with a defense of 2000 or less from my deck!"

"But we don't have decks!" Yami shouted angrily; he knew Yami Bakura was going to shed light on some other rule Yami hadn't heard of. Yami Bakura grinned at him, none of his earlier frustration showing, and wagged his finger back and forth at Yami.

"There's that interrupting thing again, Pharaoh. You may think you're so high-and-mighty, but how about letting us little people speak when we have the power to bring you big ones to your knees?!" He threw his arms out to either side. An enormous ripple appeared in the clouds above them and a monstrous shape emerged, larger than their entire playing field. It roared, its cry deafening. Yami grimaced and held his hands tightly over his ears, but Yami Bakura didn't seem to notice the sound—he was still laughing as if he had just thrust a dagger through Yami's heart already. "Go my Pyramid Turtle! Reveal to me the location of my Vampire Lord!" All of the cards started to shake and rumble as if the plane they were on was rippling; the Pyramid Turtle roared again, and then suddenly a card in the row closest to Yami Bakura and a little to the left of his hand flew into the air, spinning and turning as it did until it fell onto the plane once again, sending the cards rocking in one final shock-wave before the energy and the Pyramid Turtle receded once more.

Yami glared at the face-up Vampire Lord, torn between his horror at its arrival and his fury with Yami Bakura for not telling him all of the rules. He could practically feel Yami Bakura's smirk.

"Now it's my turn, isn't it?" His voice dripped malice and a promise of blood. "Go my Vampire Lord! Suck the life from my enemy's body!" A card on Yami's side of the field flipped over; Giant Red Sea Snake. With a cry it shattered, scattering Yami with shards. He scowled. "And guess what?" Yami glared at him, knowing what followed could not possibly be good. "When my Vampire Lord takes a bite out of your Lifepoints—as it just did, dear Pharaoh—I get to choose one type of card and you must remove it from your deck. Which means you must send one of your Monsters to the graveyard from the field!" Yami ground his teeth, but he believed Bakura; he knew that card's effect as well.

"I choose my Feral Imp! Thank you for your sacrifice, my monster!" A card two rows away from him flipped over and shattered with a scream. He could hear Yami Bakura starting to chuckle.

"Well… well… well, Pharaoh. Still feeling so high-and-mighty?" Yami raised his eyes to glare into Yami Bakura's. Yami was positive in that instant that he stared into the face of evil—every part of his expression, the smile, the way his eyes were narrowed, reeked of absolute joy at Yami's frustration, at the fact that he would lose his soul forever when he lost. There was absolutely no doubt in that face—Yami _would_ lose, and when he did he would shatter like the worthless soul he was, lost for all eternity in a pit of hell he was only deserving of. And the fact that Yami could see this, could imagine that fate, could be shaken by the horrendous thought of it filled the spirit of the Millennium Ring with ecstasy.

But he was making a big mistake—Yami wouldn't lose. Yami _didn't_ lose. Never. No matter how skilled his opponent, no matter how poorly-suited he was to the game.

Yami. Did. Not. Lose.

He was the King of Games, and he didn't need some false title given to him by Seto Kaiba to know _that_. He'd proven it time and time again—every time Yugi was in trouble, every time he was challenged, or he made the challenge, to protect his friends or to protect his puzzle. Every game he played, he won. No matter how tough, how tight, how frightening, no matter the stakes. He would not lose because he could not lose. And if he could beat Seto Kaiba, and Maximillion Pegasus, and Marik on countless occasions each in a game as complicated and prone to turn-arounds as Duel Monsters, he could certainly beat this two-bit hack at a child's game of Concentration!

"Laugh all you want, Bakura!" he shouted, hoping his resolve and his anger and confidence shone through his voice and burned Yami Bakura's skin. "It'll be your only comfort when you whither in the Shadow Realm!" He called upon two face-down cards; they flipped over, and Yami Bakura's card shrieked in pain as it shattered. The numbers rearranged behind him again. Yami's 1600 to Bakura's 2400.

Yami Bakura smirked.

"Poor Pharaoh, it's alright. You don't have to act brave anymore—when you're lost in the Shadow Realm, I know _someone_ will mourn your passing—who else will I have to crush?!" He threw his head back and laughed, and Yami suppressed a scowl. Damn that bastard, damn him to the deepest pits of hell. "Well I won't keep you waiting, Pharaoh—I know how the worry can be worse than the true event!" He pitched his arm into the sky, and Yami's card flipped over. "Of course, in this case the real thing is so, so much worse!" A scream; Yami flinched as his Lifepoints were lowered once again. "And thanks to my Vampire Lord's effect, you're now down another monster, aren't you?"

"I choose my Stone Soldier," he said, his voice still burning with confidence. A card two rows down and to his left shattered with an agonizing scream. Yami Bakura smirked.

Yami could feel a tendril of anxiety deep in his stomach, emerging even through his confidence and resolution. Bakura had a thousand more Lifepoints than him. And the field was starting to look very empty—Yami Bakura still had more than half of his monsters, but Yami had only seven left. Seven monsters. True, he hadn't revealed anything truly powerful yet, which meant that the odds were high they would be in these seven cards, but what if Yami Bakura had effects that threw away his monsters regardless of attack? It was a frightening thought.

He tried to push everything away; he knew it would help him, knew it could only hinder him. He shunted everything to the side until there was only one thought in his head that he knew to be absolutely true—he couldn't survive any more turns with the Vampire Lord on the field.

"You can do it Pharaoh!" Yami turned again to Yugi, his eyes ablaze with confidence. "Things might look bad, but this is always the part of the duel where everything falls into place, all of the cards come together! Believe in the Heart of the Cards, Pharaoh, just like you always do! They always come through for us, always now, when things look so dire and hopeless! Just believe in the Heart of the Cards, like I believe in you! They know we're right, they know we're just! They won't let us lose!" If Yami had ever been thankful for his partner—and he had on several occasions—it was nothing compared to how he felt now. For a second he wondered how he could ever live without his partner, and for a second he was glad that if anything happened to his partner he wouldn't be around too long to have to deal with it. But he quickly threw _that_ thought away—he didn't want to take comfort in the fact that if Yugi died he'd pass on, too. Right now he had to focus on not letting that happen, so he and Yugi could have years to spend together yet.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let his belief in the Heart of the Cards, in his partner, in the fact that they held a bond that couldn't be broken and couldn't be broken now, flow through his body. He then pointed, unsure where he pointed, or at which card. He opened his eyes and stared straight down his finger, at the black hole in the back of a card.

"Go! My monster! Take the faith in my heart and strike his Vampire down!" He could hear Yami Bakura scoff. He watched as the card flipped over. Yami Bakura gave a strangled cry of shock and his Vampire Lord shattered, taking some of Yami Bakura's Lifepoints with him. Yami smiled at the face of his Dark Magician.

"Thank you, my friend," he said to the card as a cry of joy from Yugi came from the sidelines. "It's wonderful to see you." The card flipped back over again, hiding in the shadows, ready to attack at it's master's next call. Yami Bakura was growling quietly in the back of his throat, but he forced his annoyance down.

"Very good, Pharaoh! It would seem luck's on _your_ side, this time!" he shouted. "But don't think you'll be so fortunate the _whole _game. I will destroy you and that foolish host's spirit and claim your puzzle as my own! Nothing will stop me, especially not some amnesiac pharaoh!" He pointed directly at Yami's heart. Yami just scoffed.

"Except for your general incompetence, of course." Yami Bakura drew his shoulders up at reflex. He hissed at Yami.

"My monster! Attack his face-down card!" he shouted. A card on his side of the field and a face-down card on Yami's side both flipped over. With a scream, Yami's was destroyed. Yami shrugged it off and called upon his Dark Magician and one of Yami Bakura's monsters; the thing never stood a chance. Yami Bakura grimaced in pain.

"Don't get haughty yet, Pharaoh," he snarled. Yami smirked. "Just because you've gotten lucky this time doesn't mean you'll win. You can rely on that Dark Magician of yours if you want to, but don't think it can support you forever."

"I don't need it to last forever," Yami said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was still worried, still aware that he was in a perilous position. But showing a strong side to Yami Bakura, showing that confidence that lurked there, too, was his best weapon right now. "I just need it to last long enough to decimate what remains of _your_ Lifepoints."

Yami Bakura growled furiously and gestured to two face-down cards. They flipped over, and he was barely able to restrain a furious grunt as his card shattered, taking some of his Lifepoints with it. Yami was unable to hold back a laugh.

"Don't speak so soon, Bakura," he said mockingly. "Maybe _you_ should stay quiet as well, eh? After all, better to keep your mouth shut than to shove your foot in it." He raised his hand up and pointed to one of Yami Bakura's cards. "Go my Dark Magician! Destroy his face-down card!"

Yami Bakura almost screamed as Dream Clown was destroyed, taking almost all of his Lifepoints with it. Yami couldn't help but smirk.

"What you said before is true, Bakura." Yugi was cheering loudly in the background. "It's amazing how quickly the tables can turn. Look at our lifepoints, and look at the field. Now you have only one monster more than I do, and one of mine is the Dark Magician. What do you have that can beat that?"

Yami Bakura didn't say anything; he just glared at Yami and seethed. His shoulders moved in time to his breathing, but he didn't say anything. He could feel that he was on the edge of a dangerous precipice. He was near the end of his rope—there wasn't much hope that he could defeat Yami at such a weakened state. And what irritated him more was that Yami knew it.

Yami turned to the prone form of Bakura, who was still hanging unconscious by the dark rings around his wrists and ankles.

"I'm sorry, my friend," he said to the unconscious body, Yugi glancing at his friend as well. "But I promise—I _will_ save you." Yugi turned back to Yami and gave out a frightened cry. But it was too late.

With a hideous snarl Yami Bakura had pushed himself off the ground and was sailing towards Yami already; Yami barely had time to turn before Yami Bakura was on top of him, his fingers clawing at the chain around the Millennium Puzzle.

"I won't lose!" he shouted furiously as Yami struggled to beat him off. "Not to some foolish, arrogant fool like you!" The two rolled about, fighting each other with all of their might. Yugi was still making sounds of horror and dismay, urging the Pharaoh on and reacting to every hit Yami took as if they had been struck against himself, too.

Yami ground his teeth and tried to pry Yami Bakura's hands away from the puzzle, while at the same time trying to kick him as hard as he could. But Yami Bakura seemed oblivious—he was too focused on stealing the Puzzle to feel anything else.

Suddenly the world began to grow hazy and insubstantial, like Yami was floating in a dream. He blinked owlishly, but it didn't help—he was still just as physically strong and in control, but still everything felt so surreal. Too surreal. He could hear Yami Bakura's maniac laughter ringing in his ears, though it was like someone had covered the bell first. He abruptly had a sickly feeling of being washed away by a powerful wave and then coming back. And it was then that he understood.

Yami Bakura was trying to use the power of the Millennium Ring to force Yami's spirit out of the Puzzle.

Yami called upon the power of the Puzzle, using all of its, and his, power to keep his spirit in the puzzle. Yami Bakura growled in irritation at Yami discovering his plan. Yami Bakura called all of his power into the Ring, as well.

For a moment the world seemed to swim in a clear water of dreams and nightmares, and then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 4: A Place I'm Not Used To

Hello Ladies and Gentleman!!!! (do I even have any male readers? LOL O_o;;;) First off, I apologize for the brevity of this chapter. But I think it deserves its own chapter….. (I have chapters in my real book this length too). Also, I just want to let you know that my internet is on the fritz. As in… for the last couple of days I've only been allowed (by the internet) to get on three times or so for periods of about twenty seconds. (I'm actually using my neighbor's internet right now. 8DDDDD;;; OHOHOHOHOHO.) So if I don't reply quickly, that's why—I actually had to move at lightspeed to get chapter 3 up, so be happy for that. 8DDDDD Yes, I'm hard at work on 5 and it's already 8 pages long Orz|||| Now that I'm done with that d*mn chapter 3 I'm having a lot of fun, so…. I hope you guys like the way it goes from here. :3 And if you don't understand what's going on in this chapter, don't worry. All will be explained. For those of you who DO know what's going on (and it wouldn't surprise me if most of you do [what with the description of the story and all]), congratulations. 8DD;;; I can explain more in the comments of Chapter 5 I suppose…. Oh well. 8DDDD;;; Enjoy reading!

~The Author-lady

Chapter 4 -_-_- A Place I'm Not Used To

Yami Bakura opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in the dim chamber of the Room of his Mind; scarlet flames set on long gold stands blazed in the four corners around the raised platform in the center of the room, casting a red light over everything. He scoffed and put his arms behind him, keeping him in a reclined position. He remembered everything, as far as he could tell—fighting Yami in his shadow game, the horrible defeat from the Dark Magician, wrestling with Yami to steal the puzzle. Hmph. He'd thought he was so damn clever when he tried to part Yami's soul from the pyramid-shaped object, but that damn Pharaoh had swept in and used his own power to try and place himself back. He wondered slightly how that fight had ended—he and Yami had been fighting, and then everything vanished. And now he awoke here, in the Room of his Mind. Had the Shadow Realm punished them both by casting their souls to the shadows? Was this what it was like to wither there? Captured in the room of your own mind, doomed there to eternity? He could take some comfort in the fact that he had damned the Pharaoh to the shadows, but he was too frustrated taht this meant he could no longer achieve his own ends.

He leaned back further, giving the room a passing glance. No… something seemed alive in him. Or as alive as a 5,000-years-dead spirit can feel. He wasn't in the shadows. Was he still in his host? In the ring? Did this mean the Shadow Realm had simply annulled the game after Yami Bakura's transgression?

How merciful of it.

Yami Bakura felt deep in his own conscience through to his connection with his host. The connection was dull and closed off—dammit, his host was so deeply unconscious that Yami Bakura couldn't even take control of the body. He pushed himself into a fully sitting position and crossed his arms over his chest. What a bother. It'd been a while since he'd been stuck in this chamber—for the last few weeks he'd been piloting Bakura's body almost non-stop, working it to a level that his host's pathetic body clearly couldn't handle. Really, his reincarnation was useless. _He_ had _never_ been that weak, even in the days of his earliest youth.

The room reflected that youth—the walls were made of sandstone, most likely yellow, though the red light made them look orange. Those that weren't hidden in shadow, of course. The room was circular, reflecting the shape of the Millennium Ring, which housed his soul. There was nothing in the room but a single door in the far wall, and the raised platform in the middle, less than a foot above the ground, with its four torches blazing a foot away from each corner. In the middle of the dais sat the Millennium Stone—not the real one, of course, but it nonetheless reflected which items were in his possession.

The stone had had only the Millennium Ring for far too long.

He reached backwards without looking to stroke the polished curve of the Millennium Ring and met only air.

Yami Bakura whirled around in shock. The Millennium Ring! It was gone! His fingers searched frantically in the divot set for it near the middle of the stone idol, but it wasn't there. He began to grow frantic. Where was it?! Where was the Millennium Ring?! This was his _mind_! He couldn't just _lose_ it! He clasped frantically at his chest, at his neck, looking in his shirt. But he wasn't wearing the Ring, either.

It was gone.

He mind was reeling with shock and a sudden sense of emptiness. No! It was impossible! The Ring was his! It had been his for 5,000 years, it housed his very soul! How could it be… He couldn't even think of the word, it made him sick.

He put his hand down, and a stabbing pain suddenly shot up his arm. He looked at his hand, and saw that it had landed near the neck of the idol. He didn't move his hand for a second. The chaos in his mind had suddenly been washed away, swept away by a thought. It felt like a… spike. Or a corner of something was sticking into his hand.

Very slowly, he lifted his hand and brought it to his side.

There, glinting almost evilly in the red light, was the Millennium Puzzle. It was sitting awkwardly in its space, which was why one of its corners stood up instead of being hidden away by the stone.

Yami Bakura's mind was empty with shock, empty with ideas and a realization he knew was completely true. He fit it into its slot so it sat correctly, the ever-watching Eye of Horus glaring up at him. There was no loud bang, or flash of light, or stream of sparks. It just sat there, existing.

Yami Bakura looked up, and instead of the flat ceiling, he noticed that the four sides of the chamber all tilted upwards, their meeting points left in shadow. He looked around, and noticed that the room was no longer circular, but multi-sided.

He laughed darkly.


	6. Chapter 5: This is Not Me

**Please go see the urgent message on my Profile if you're interested in Beta Testing.**

OMG Yami Bakura's such a bastard. XDDDD Srsly tho, I love this guy. 3 HAPPI FAIS. This was actually technically supposed to be two chapters. :/ Sorry. But I figured the second chapter was actually too related to get its own chapter. ...actually, it's more complicated than that but you guys don't actually care and neither do I. 8D;;; Brooklyn accents suck. Maybe I should kill off Joey just so I can stop worrying about that GOD. DAMN. ACCENT. *seethes * Oh, and the thing with Yami Bakura's Room of Mind—it was originally circular, but then it became pyramid-shaped. I figured that since his and Yami's souls actually reside in objects instead of bodies, they would reflect those objects. Meanin Yami's would usually be pyramid-shaped, except its too busy being M.-ish to bother. LOL So last chapter was just Yami Bakura figuring out that: "Oh hei, Im in the puzzle nao. 8DDDD " LOL Two chapters in one day… is not bad for me. :3 Okay, so four doesn't really count, shut up. But I'd say itty-bitty four plush Mr. Monstro 5 = 2, nee? Like 1.5 + .5 = *coughfishcough* 2. ...okay I'm leaving now. It's nearly 3 a.m. DDDDDDX Sun uva…. *beeeeeeeeeep *

~The Author Lady

PS Would just like to give a pimp-out to the fan-fics of LittleKuriboh and a fan-fic called Straitjackets (all YGO!); the former are all pretty great (granted I've only read Twist and Spirit so far but they're both AMAZING OMGWTFBBQ), and Straitjackets, which I've only started reading today, is a pretty interesting little AU so far. :3 So… yep! Hope you guys enjoi.

Chapter 5 -_-_- This is Not Me

Joey stood outside the door, Tea and Tristan crowding beside him.

"Come on! Let's go in already!" Tristan shouted, trying to push Joey against, and thus through, the door. Tea was pushing against him, out towards the hall.

"We can't!" she shouted, grunting with the effort of keeping Tristan at bay. "He hasn't opened the door yet!"

"Oh come on!" Tristan shouted, grabbing Joey's shirt for an anchor. "We've already knocked three times, and we _iknow_/i Yugi's here! And that means Bakura's here too! Why don't we just go in?!"

"Triiiiiiiiiistaaaaaaan," Tea whined. Joey banged again on the door, making it rattle in its frame.

"Yo! Yug, Bakura! Let us in!" He pounded against the door, but it didn't give. He frowned at the door, then turned to Tea and Tristan, his arms crossed resolutely across his chest. "Alright—we'll turn 'e door knob, and if it isn't locked we'll go in. But if it i_is_/i locked, we assume they went out for ice cream and leave. 'kay?"

"Alright!" Tea and Tristan said in unison, saluting. Joey nodded once and turned around, reaching slowly for the doorknob. He started to turn it, making a big show of it and doing it as slowly as he possibly could. Tristan gave an enormous sigh and shoved on Joey's back, making the three of them tumble into the apartment's entrance.

Joey got up to his feet and dusted himself off, grumbling loudly about his friends. He took a step forward and nearly tripped over the first body.

Yugi and Bakura were laying sprawled out on the ground, their Duel Monsters Cards scattered around them. They were both clearly unconscious, and Joey fought down the initial thought that they might be dead. Their limbs were spread out awkwardly around them, like they'd fallen to the ground and hadn't moved afterwards.

"Guys!" Joey shouted in alarm as Tea and Tristan noticed the two of them as well. Tristan's eyes lit on the cards and his eyebrows climbed up his head.

"They must have been attacked by a Rare Hunter!" he shouted, his eyes wide. Tea was already kneeling next to Yugi, trying to lift him.

"Come on you guys! This can't be good—they need to get in their beds!" she said, straining under Yugi's slight weight. Joey leaned down and scooped Yugi up like it was no big deal.

"Tristan and I'll take Yug back to his place!" he said, gesturing with his head to Tristan, who was busy scooping the cards up so they could divide them into their proper decks later. Tea nodded and started to lift Bakura up and drag him to his room.

* *

Yami pushed himself out of the stone throne he had fallen asleep in. His muscles ached as he pushed himself up, and lurched as he got to his feet. He frowned and put a hand up to his head to steady himself. He wasn't feeling well; he was even more confused than usual. What had happened? Yami Bakura had attacked him. And that was it.

Had Yugi gone free?

Was Bakura lost in the shadows?

Had the Shadow Realm punished Yami Bakura for cheating?

He walked drunkenly out of the room, bumping against the walls and leaning on them for support. His feet felt unsure around him, and the world seemed to be spinning.

"Yugi…" he said weakly. He pushed himself past another door frame, looking at the deep maze that was the Room of his Mind. It was even worse than usual—the stairways were now tilting in all sorts of impossible angles he'd never seen before, some looked inside out, there was a new density to the steps and at least forty times more doors. Reflecting his own confusion. Ugh. He wondered if he'd ever get out again.

It took him what felt like forever, though it could have been five minutes. But finally he went through a door and stumbled into the hall that separated his Room of Mind from his partner's. He could feel his host's presence a little more strongly now, and he lurched towards the other door, prying it open.

"Yugi—" he started, but stopped. This room didn't look like what he'd seen before. It was dark, with swirling shadows circling within it. The walls looked like they had been brightly colored once, but now the colorful, childish wallpaper was peeling in places and looked worn out and tired. In the middle of the room was a single white column, Greek looking, fading in and out of existence. It was around this that the shadows circled, and Yami could see through the column toys and bright playing cards all gathered together into a hurried pile. On top of the pile sat a sad-looking angel with a face Yami couldn't make out. A soul trying to protect its innocence and its identity from the swirling evil surrounding it.

This was not Yugi's Room of Mind.

What was going on?!

* *

Bakura opened his eyes tiredly. It took a second for the world to come back into focus, but very slowly it did. There was the lamp on his ceiling, with the fluorescent red circle where a bouncy ball had gotten away from him and had fallen into the glass bowl. His walls with posters of Monster World promotions and photographs of England and his old home.

He closed his eyes again, feeling the softness of his blankets around him. It had been a long time since he'd been in total control of his body, and he's missed how good it felt not to be sequestered in the Room of his Mind. Yami Bakura had been running him ragged lately, doing who-knew-what; Yami Bakura did not allow Bakura around when he was working. It was why he had been so tired lately, so exhausted to the bone. And it had been why he couldn't tell Yugi about, either—if anyone was to understand his dilemma, he knew it had been Yugi; Yugi had saved him from the power of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring once before, and Yugi had a spirit within him as well. Granted, that spirit was benevolent, but he could still relate. But Yami Bakura had threatened him whenever he retreated to the Room of his Mind to think or to rest, as even spirits needed to; if he informed to Yugi even about so much as Yami Bakura's presence Yami Bakura would make sure terrible things happened not only to Bakura, but Yugi and his friends as well. Yami Bakura had never hurt him purely out of malice before, but he didn't doubt that he could. Bakura dreaded that happening more than anything. Yugi was his friend, as little time as the two got to spend together. He didn't count himself as one of Yugi's "group", but he'd have loved to be a part of them. Maybe if Yami Bakura hadn't entered his life, hadn't made everything so complicated. Bakura had been determined to protect Yugi—even to clearly slapping Yugi away when he almost touched the Millennium Ring hidden under Bakura's shirt. He'd been determined to never let Yugi know of the Millennium Ring's presence again.

i_I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it?_ /ihe thought despondently. i_The Spirit of the Millennium Ring has revealed himself of his own will. Does that mean I can talk to Yugi about it now?_ /i He forced his eyes open again, trying to take everything in. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring was being very quiet; he wasn't trying to shove himself into control of Bakura's body at all. That didn't sit right with him—Yami Bakura enjoyed being in control of a body as much as Bakura realized he did, and would hardly ever give up an opportunity to be the dominant soul in it. And Yami Bakura was definitely awake, though he was still deep in the Room of his Mind. He had lost all track of what was going on when Yami Bakura had forced him out of control and back into his Room when he had been trying to walk to the door to tell Yugi to leave. Had something happened?! What was going on?!

"Bakura! You're awake!" Bakura bolted up in alarm, his white hair flying around him. He looked around wildly, his brown eyes finally setting on Tea Gardner, sitting in a chair beside his bed. What was she doing here?! Why was she in his room?!

"T-Tea!" he said, as eloquent as ever. The look of relief on Tea's face was so acute it almost hurt.

"Bakura, we were so scared!" She leaned forward and hugged him, and it took him a second to recognize what she was doing; he was still processing her words.

"'We'? What were you worried about? Why are you here?" he asked, his mind feeling fuzzy. i_Something_/i had happened since the short time since Yami Bakura had forced control. With a start, he realized that he didn't know if it had been a short time or not—usually his sense of time was as accurate as usual when he was in the Room of his Mind as when he was in control of his body, but he realized now that he had no idea how much time had passed. This disturbed him more than anything so far, to the point where he was nearly shaking; it took every lost drop of will he had to be still until Tea let go of him and sat back up in her chair.

"Do you not remember?" she asked, sounding concerned again. The concern in her voice struck Bakura again, and he felt awful; how much he wished he could be one of their friends! With how much Tea was worrying over him already, he couldn't imagine how much she would care if he was one of the group. For a second the image filled him with a sort of muted joy, but he pushed it away. It was impossible right now, as long as Yami Bakura was around. "Yugi came over to see how you were doing, and I guess you had a battle with a Rare Hunter!" Bakura jumped in shock, but something in the very back of his mind told him that that wasn't right. "Joey, Tristan and I came yesterday to check in on you and see how you were doing, since we worried too, but when we came in the door was already unlocked and the two of you were lying on the ground all sprawled out and with Monster Cards all over the floor!" Bakura's eyes widened in surprise.

"We… what?" he asked, confused. He put his head in his hands and tried to remember, but he couldn't recall anything. Yugi knocking on the door, Yami Bakura forcing his way into control, him falling as he struggled against the Spirit… then an unmeasured time in his Room of Mind… and then waking up in his bed. He noticed that there was a period between being in his Room of Mind and waking up that was black—he'd been unconscious. But how long?

He felt Tea put a hand on his forehead, and he raised his head so she could reach better. She frowned slightly and retracted her hand.

"You don't feel hot," she said. "Are you feeling okay?" Bakura nodded, not even thinking about it first.

"I feel fine," he said, but even as he said it he wasn't sure if it was true or not. Tea frowned.

"Should I call a doctor?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I'm sure I'm fine," he said, again not sure if it was true or not. "But… where is Yugi?" he asked. Tea nodded to herself.

"Joey and Tristan took him back to his house. We figured that'd be best…" She bit her lip, clearly worried about him.

"Is he okay?" Bakura asked. Tea shook her head slowly, and Bakura felt a thrill of fear.

"I don't know," she admitted. "When we found you two you were both unconscious… The boys took Yugi, and I haven't heard since…" She bit her lip again, glancing at the phone sitting on Bakura's desk.

"Why don't you call and find out?" Bakura offered. Tea's face relaxed for a second in unspoken thanks and walked over to it, quickly dialing the number. She held the receiver up to her ear, still biting her lip. With each ring Tea grew more and more agonized with worry, but finally someone seemed to pick up. "Joey! It's me! How's Yugi, is he doing okay?!" There was silence for a moment as Joey replied, making Tea's face grow worried again. "Really… He hasn't even woken up now?" Bakura felt a little thrill of horror go through him. Yugi still wasn't awake? He realized that he was worried sick about Yugi. What could have happened to the two of them that was so serious? Hadn't Tea said she and Yugi's friends had found them yesterday? How long had they been sleeping then?! He remembered that he didn't even really know how he was feeling yet—he'd kept pushing it out of his mind so that he didn't worry Tea. But now he really needed to know; a cold fear was starting to crawl over him. As much as he enjoyed having someone he thought of as a friend there, he needed her to leave so he could think without the possibility of worrying her. But how could he make her leave without hurting her feelings…?

Tea was talking again, and he listened to what she said, trying to glean as much information as he could.

"He seems to be doing fine; he woke up a couple minutes ago." She turned to Bakura and gave him a sad little smile before turning back to the phone. "Yeah… He's not hot, so he doesn't seem sick. A little… out of it, but I don't think he's ill. … He doesn't remember. No, tell Tristan that I am not going to try and psychoanalyze him to see if he remembers somewhere in his subconscious… I can hear him in the background! Sheesh, guys." There was another long pause, and she bit her lip again. "Really? Nothing at all? Ugh… I'm worried sick…"

"Tea," Bakura said, making her turn her head. "I'm okay, really. You can go over there and be with Yugi if you want," he offered. Tea blushed bright red, and looked at the phone with a look of reluctant longing.

"You need someone Bakura, I just know it. I can always visit Yugi later, and he's in g—… decent hands with Joey and Tristan. It would be wrong of me to leave you," she said. Bakura smiled comfortingly at her. She was trying to do the right thing, even though it wasn't really what she wanted to do.

"Tea, it's okay, I promise," he said. He gestured to himself. "I feel fine. I can take care of myself. I promise." She glanced at the phone again, clearly guilty. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your concern. It really makes me feel like I'm your friend."

"You are my friend!" she cried, not even leaving time to think about it. This made Bakura feel warm inside—it was the honest truth, then, for her to say it so quickly. He closed his eyes and smiled at her.

"Then that's really all I need," he said, trying to show how earnest he was. "I know that you'll be with me in spirit." He opened his eyes again. "Go be with Yugi now—he needs your support more than I do right now." Again checking his own condition crept into his mind, but he pushed it away. Not until she left. Tea shot one last reluctant look at the phone, and then Bakura could see her conviction dissolve.

"Joey?" she said, lifting the receiver up to her ear again from where she had been holding it against her shoulder. "I'm going to be there as soon as I can, okay? … Bakura's fine. … He told me he is, that's how I know. … I know, I know, but he seems more concerned about Yugi than himself. … I know you can take care of Yugi, but— … I'll be there as soon as the next bus can take me!" She hung up the phone, and gave Bakura a final look. "Are you absolutely sure?" she asked. Bakura nodded.

"Go be with Yugi—as soon as he wakes up call me, okay?" Tea nodded and gave Bakura a final thankful smile.

"Thank you," she said as she lifted her pure onto her shoulder and put the chair back under the desk. Bakura smiled at her again.

"Of course," he said. She left the room, and Bakura listened for the sound of the front door opening and closing. As soon as it did he fell backwards against his pillows, his eyes closed. He was tired. That was the first thing he noticed. He was dead tired, and his eyes were sore. His body felt a little stiff as well, but that was usual when people woke up. He still couldn't remember anything since the scuffle in the hallway, but everything else seemed in place. What had happened?

He felt a presence in his mind, and his body seemed to freeze with terror. Yami Bakura was up. Was he going to try and control Bakura's body now? But Bakura was so tired… If Yami Bakura tried to do anything, he might kill Bakura this time! But the presence didn't grow, didn't try to push him away. And it didn't feel like Yami Bakura either. Who was it?

i_Who are you?_/i the presence asked. Bakura's eyes shot open in shock. He recognized this voice, though he couldn't think from where. But one thing was certain—it was definitely i_not_/i the Spirit of the Millennium Ring.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked. He felt a bolt of surprise from the presence.

i_Bakura_/i it thought. Bakura became even more confused—he _iknew_/i that he knew that voice from somewhere.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, frightened. What was going on?! He could feel the presence's own fear and confusion and surprise. It was so different from Yami Bakura—Yami Bakura always seemed calm, and when he did show emotions—like anger, especially—they were always very intense, very there. The emotions of this presence were muted, but definitely there, like looking at something through a window sheer.

i_I… How can this be?_/i the presence wondered. i_Why am I with Bakura? Where is Yugi?_/i Bakura's eyes widened with shock and realization.

"You're… you're the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle!" he cried out. He could feel the presence's agreement.

i_Yes_,/i he said, i_though it would seem I no longer inhabit the Millennium Puzzle./I _A bolt of shock from Bakura.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

i_I am not with Yugi. I am with you. I cannot feel Yugi, the only Room of Mind I can see is yours. But you are the bearer of the Millennium Ring. Which means..._/i There was a pause, and Bakura tried to process it.

"You… you and the Spirit of the Millennium Ring have switched places?" he asked, shocked. Again Yami agreed with him, and he could feel Yami's worry as well.

i_So it would seem,/i _he said. i_It must have happened when the Spirit of the Millennium Ring and I fought over our items—when he was trying to exorcise me from the puzzle, he must have been using so much energy that it affected up both and threw us both out. And I was using so much that it put us both in—but not into our correct items./i_

"Wh-when did this happen?!" Bakura shouted, shocked. Yami explained what had happened; the strange behavior Yami now knew was caused by Yami Bakura, the shadow game, how Yami Bakura had panicked when it seemed he was going to lose. Bakura felt hollow for a few moments when Yami told him how he had almost been sent to the shadows, but the fact that he knew how much Yami cared about Yugi—he could feel it in the spirit's voice—as well as how honestly regretful Yami sounded made the feeling pass quickly. He explained again how Yami Bakura had tried to summon the power of the Millennium Ring to pry Yami from the puzzle, but Yami had figured out was happening quickly enough that he used his own power of placing souls back in their bodies that they had ended up switchi—

Suddenly something struck the Pharaoh, as Yami had told him he was usually called, that made him completely freeze for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Bakura asked, concerned.

i_If I am here..._/i he said slowly, as if trying to reject a cold, hard, terrible truth. It took Bakura a second, but when he got it icy dread filled him just as it had Yami.

"Then that means Yugi is at the mercy of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring."

* *

It took Yugi a second before he could really rationalize where he was. He remembered being in Bakura's apartment, he remembered Bakura suddenly pulling out the Millennium Ring. Then the shadow game. It had been so close, so frightening. But Yami was winning. Yami was about to win. And then Yami Bakura had cheated, and the two had been on the ground. And then…

He felt uneasiness tug at his stomach. What had happened? Had Yami Bakura been punished for what he'd done? He'd cheated—cheated in the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm did not put up with that sort of thing; Yami had told him when Yugi had been able to coax it out of him that Yami had played shadow games with others before. Ones he'd started, ones by his rules, with terrible punishments. It was something that he didn't like to talk about, because he'd changed since really getting to know Yugi. But Yugi would always assure him that it wasn't entirely his fault; it was their fault for cheating at his game. Yami never really bought it, and Yugi allowed the conversation to pass as quickly as possible.

Yugi was suddenly struck with an amazing loneliness, and it took him a second to realize that it was because he couldn't feel the Pharaoh in the forefront of his mind, seeing if he was alright, or just being there. That wasn't right, and he knew it. Yami should have been there.

He felt through his connection towards Yami, but there seemed to be something blocking it. Like the spirit at the other end had knocked the connection away. That wasn't like Yami either. What was going on?!

"No, chicken soup is what you give people when they're sick! Not pizza!"

"Shut up! I'm from Brooklyn—don't ya think I'd know?! Believe me, nothin' gets you back on yer feet like a good ol' Brooklyn-style pizza!"

"Joey, you really are an idiot!"

Yugi could hear his friends arguing down the stairs and down the hall in the kitchen, where his grandfather was most likely laughing at them. He wondered why they were there, but he had already come to terms that things had happened after he had blacked out, and all would be explained at one point. Surely Yami knew.

He felt for the Pharaoh again, and this time he could feel the spirit.

Terror welled in him. What he had felt _ihadn't/i_ been the Pharaoh. There wasn't any doubt in his mind. What he had felt had been powerful, evil, malicious. It wanted blood, pain, and misery. That was i_not_/i the Pharaoh.

i_Well, well. Look who's up. Good morning, little Yugi_,/i the unmistakeable voice of Yami Bakura came. Yugi jerked violently and Yami Bakura laughed. i_Surprised to see me?/_i

i_W-what are you… Why are you here?!/i _he thought in shock. Yami Bakura laughed.

i_Blame your precious little Pharaoh for that, little Yugi. It would seem that his ability to put souls back and my power to rip souls out reacted in a most interesting way—both worked, but neither was canceled. For the slow people, that means we switched items./i _ He laughed darkly. i_Which means also that we've apparently switched hosts. Aren't you excited, little Yugi?/i _He laughed again and Yugi felt both fear and anger go through him.

i_That can't be true!/i _he shouted. Yami Bakura mentally shrugged.

i_Believe what you will, little Yugi, but I'm here._/I Yami Bakura laughed again, and Yugi felt cold. Yami Bakura?! The Pharaoh had been replaced by Yami Bakura?! It was the stuff of nightmares! Yami Bakura had proven himself to be an entity of evil, and that was something Yugi wanted nothing to do with.

Yugi felt Yami Bakura doing… i_something/i_ and an automatic reflex in Yugi told him that it was bad. He instinctively tried to stop Yami Bakura, using all of his energy to do it. He realized that he was, metaphorically speaking, pushing closed the lid to a box filled with… He blinked in surprise. His memories, what did Yami Bakura want with those?!

i_Now now, Yugi. You'll only make things harder. Now really. Let me see those memories of yours. All I need is the location of the God Card, after all./i_ This perked Yugi's interest, and for a second he lost control of the memories. Memories of his childhood swirled before his eyes, of his parents, of playing games with his Grandfather. All in less than a fraction of a millisecond. He clamped down on the memories again, noticing how Yami Bakura's pull got stronger and strong, how he had to use more and more energy to keep the box shut. He wanted to ask why Yami Bakura needed the God Card—how he even i_knew_/i of its existence—but he couldn't take away any of his focus from the box of his memories. He realized that Yami Bakura could read them at any time, when he wasn't resisting like this, could gather everything in a second. And he didn't know why he fought so hard, but he did. He knew only one thing—

If Yami Bakura wanted the Egyptian God Card, he'd have to do everything in his power to keep it out of Yami Bakura's hands.

He acted again on instinct.

Yami Bakura cursed loudly as both Yugi's conscious mind and his memories vanished into the boy's Room of Mind. Clever. God damn clever kid. If Yugi "locked" the door behind him, no matter what Yami Bakura did he couldn't get in. He couldn't see Yugi's memories. But in return, Yugi was stuck there. He couldn't leave, because the moment he did the memories would flow freely and in an instant Yami Bakura would know exactly where the God Card was, exactly everything that Yugi had ever known. As well, the only way Yugi could be aware of what was going on outside of his body—and even inside of his body, for that matter, was to leave the room, or even to peek out of the door for a fraction of a second. But that would still be enough. The closing of that door had been like an air-tight seal. And once broken, it could never function fully again.

He needed that card to give to Marik—although a little twisted, the deal was still basically the same; Yami Bakura handed Marik the God Card, and in return Marik used his chimps and resources to get Yami Bakura the Millennium Ring for him. He was surprised how much that pleased him—it was different than how he felt about the Puzzle. To his surprise there was a little bit of nostalgia in the thought—it seemed he had grown somewhat attached to the Ring.

How disgustingly sentimental.

Yami Bakura took full control of Yugi's body, resolving himself to this control. It was better with Yugi out of the way anyway; no one to argue with, he could act however he wanted with impunity. Not that Yugi's presence would really stop that anyway.

He got up and locked the door to his room, keeping those idiots that called Yugi his friends out. The first thing he noticed with his new body was that it was disgustingly short. Bakura wasn't very tall at 5' 7", but it was amazing what three inches could do. He felt like a god damned midget. He walked towards the window and started to slide it up, looking out over the road. He'd have to tell Marik the new change in plans. But suddenly the sounds of Yugi's friends came from the other side of the door, the tall blonde doofus shouting at the idiot with hair stupider than even the Pharaoh's to open the door, while the latter told the first to open it himself, which was met with an angry, "I'm holdin' a tray a food here!"

Yami Bakura considered the window for a second, then closed it again and unlocked the door. He could foresee a very long time in Yugi's body, and until both the Pharaoh and his pesky original host were out of the picture, he imagined things would be easier if he acted the part his body had set up for him. He'd already made the decision to switch permanently from Bakura to Yugi—reincarnation or not, his original host had been a pathetic nobody with no friends. Yugi might be a midget, but he was also reasonably famous, which would help him out greatly.

He climbed back under the blankets and pretended to be asleep and just waking up.

The door opened and Yami Bakura watched with hooded eyes as the idiot blonde walked in, balancing a green plastic tray in his hands—really, how did you balance something that was flat and you were holding with two hands?—a bowl of something giving off steam resting on it. Next to it was a glass of water, and for a second Yami Bakura wanted to applaud the blonde on not putting the glass i_in_/i the bowl.

"Yug!" the blonde cried out, nearly dropping the tray. Next to him was the idiot brown-haired friend. They both looked ecstatic to see their friend's eyes open.

Idiots.

"Yugi, you're awake!" the brown-haired one shouted. Yami Bakura thought for a moment, trying to decide where he was, who he was, how he was, and what had happened. You had to consider all sides of your character in order to act. Or lie with any sort of believability.

"Why are you so surprised?" he asked, his voice small and worried. He assumed Yugi would be smart enough to realize that his friends being i_surprised_/i that he had woken up was a very, very bad surprise.

"Nah, just happy," the blonde said, smiling and sitting on the edge of Yugi's bed. For a second Yami Bakura's indignation flared up, but then he forced it down.

"Um… I like seeing you guys first thing in the morning too," he said, trying to sound cheerful. The idiots flashed each other a look, and he pretended Yugi was intelligent enough to catch it. "What?"

"Well… it's not…" the brown-haired started. He looked at the blonde pleadingly. "Um… Joey?" The blonde's eyebrows crawled up his head.

"Me?! Ya little— I er… I mean," "Joey" started again. "It's the middle of the day, Yug." "Yugi" opened his eyes in shock.

"What?!" he cried, trying to sound confused. "But when I came here to Bakura's house it was just after school had… end… ed…" He trailed off, looking around. "This… isn't Bakura's house," he observed. Yami Bakura nearly wanted to wring his own neck. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was stupid people. And he was acting about as stupid as he could stand. And what was even worse was that this didn't seem to be any different from what Yugi's "friends" would expect. Oh god.

"Joey" smiled at him sheepishly and looked around the room.

"Nah… when we found you unconscious on the floor—"

"What?!" Joey's hand inched up for his forehead for a second, but Yami Bakura could tell he was stopping himself.

"Well… Tristan finished early, there was an emergency staff meetin' so my third set of detentions was postponed 'til later, and Tea got off work early because of a fire in the kitchens, so we decided we would surprise ya guys and show up there and hang out too. But when we got there, the door was unlocked and you guys were on the floor, unconscious, with monster cards all over 'e place! We're guessin' a Rare Hunter attacked you guys, am I right?!" A Rare Hunter? Those guys couldn't even open a can of tuna correctly.

"My… my memories are kind of hazy, but I think…" Yami Bakura put his head in his hands. "I think you're right." Idiot.

He could tell that this answer gave his friend guilty joy.

"Ah knew it! I mean, that totally sucks, Yug! You could've been lost to the shadows forever!" Joey shouted. i_You have no idea, imbecile./i_

"My cards!" he cried out instead. The brown-headed one handed Yugi an immense deck of cards, that was clearly much too large.

"I gathered 'em all up, Yugi," he said, sounding oh-so-proud of himself. "I figured you could separate your deck from Bakura's when you woke up." Oh ter-bloody-riffic. Even when they were trying to help they were nothing but nuisances! Yami Bakura finally understood the saying: "With friends like these who needs enemies?" He'd never really been one for "friends".

Instead he affected a face of absolute gratitude and hugged the cards to his chest.

"Thank you so much!" he said thankfully.

"Did they get your Egyptian God Card?" the brown-haired one asked. Yami Bakura shook his head with enormous, overly-exaggerated movements. He couldn't wait until these two idiots were gone and he could drop the mask.

"No… I don't carry it with me," he said. This he knew was fact—god only knew he had spied on and scouted Yugi so many times it had nearly lost all of its humor; except to Marik, who found it more and more amusing with every occurrence that happened. Bastard. He knew it was kept somewhere in Yugi's room, but he couldn't imagine where. He'd cased it—and the whole house—many times, broken in, looked around, torn things apart—the Moto's suspected break-in-and-robbery a week ago had actually been him—and still had had no luck.

He looked at his friends with wide eyes, pretending he'd just realized something.

"What if he came here and took it?!" he asked in terror. This statement actually made the two of them laugh, and Yami Bakura nearly wanted to kill them for their insolence.

"Fat… chance of… that… Yug," Joey said between panting gasps. The brown-haired one was laughing too hard to seemingly breathe. "No one… knows where that card is… 'cept you…" He laughed again. Honestly, Yami Bakura didn't see what was so god damn funny, but he ignored it.

"I guess you're right," he said, cracking a smile that nearly made him feel sick to his stomach. Why did everything he did in Yugi's body hurt so much more than in the weak body of his original host? Here every false expression, every twitch of the mask made him disgusted with himself. Why was that? He mentally shook his head and ignored it; he'd get used to this body in time. He yawned, and the two's laughter faded away into happy smiles. "I'm tired," he said, though that should have been a very clear fact already thanks to the yawn. "I'm feeling alright, so you guys can go home—you guys look like you haven't left since you found me." They both laughed sheepishly, which was as good as a: "you called it".

"You alright? I made you Brookly pizza soup in chicken broth!" Joey added, holding up the bowl. Yami Bakura took it very gently, holding the bowl by his fingertips. He had a very hard time holding down the bile.

"That sounds like something, Joey," he said, making his voice a touch wry. He leaned over and rested the bowl in an empty spot on his side table, where he resolved he would get rid of it as soon as the idiots left so as to avoid radiation poisoning. "But really, I'm pretty tired. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow, okay?" Joey looked at the door for a second, then turned back to Yami Bakura. He sighed.

"I had wanted to make it a surprise, but Tea's on her way, Yug. Don't you think you could stay up long enough just to see her?" he asked, putting his hands together pleadingly.

i_Hell no_,/i he thought angrily. i_I have no desire to deal with that broad._/i

He blinked owlishly, his eyelids moving like those annoying blinds that take twenty pulls to make work. He swayed slightly as well, trying to make it look authentic.

"I'm sorry," he said, starting to sink against his pillow. "I'm just… really tired…" He landed on his pillow and tilted his head to one side, pretending to be unconscious. He wondered if he'd been too abrupt, if they wouldn't buy it—but they were really just as stupid as they looked, and Yami Bakura could feel the weight leave his bed. There was no accompanying noise, so he knew that he had sold it. Poorly, but why act well when your audience couldn't tell a the difference between a kindergarten musical and a Broadway show?

The door closed, and Yami Bakura was on his feet immediately, locking the door behind the two. He would go and discuss the new plans with Marik as soon as the sun set in a couple of hours and he wouldn't be too missed. Until then he would stay in this room and try to get used to this new midget-body.

DATE \ "M/d/yy h:mm AM/PM" 8/18/09 11:53 AM

Yami Bakura is very picky; I actually don't think he's acting to stupid at least. :/ This is what you'd expect, you know? Oh well…. LOL

DATE \ "M/d/yy h:mm AM/PM" 8/18/09 11:53 AM

FFFFFFFF Brooklyn accents. I thought I had determined that Joey never got to come back again. DDDD

DATE \ "M/d/yy h:mm AM/PM" 8/18/09 11:53 AM

He has so much contempt for Yugi that acting this stupid, he actually makes himself somewhat subconsciously believe that it's Yugi doing it, even if you asked him and he'd know it was himself who was doing it.


	7. Chapter 6: Breaking In New Quarters

Hey, guys! Sorry for the… inordinately long break. I don't often write fan-fiction, and I don't often get the drive for it, so… It's kind of correct that it took three/four years before I'd swing back around.

Anyway, for those who weren't aware of it, I've actually recently REVAMPED the story, which is now under HOSTage.0! The first five chapters (and prologue) have been edited so that they're not so unbelievably awful, and there'll be new stuff, too.

AS OF RIGHT NOW, I AM RETIRING HOSTAGE.

I'll keep working on the revamp for however long I have the steam for it. But what follows below is the last of what I have from 2009—after this, everything is new.

Thank you for your support, and if you'd like to continue with the story, please check out the revamp! Over their, Chapter 6 will actually be finished and then the story should, hopefully, be taken through to its conclusion. ((I also have multiple other stories if you're interested…?)

_THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS!_

Lauren "Atakiri"

Chapter 6 -_-_- Breaking In New Quarters

Yugi sat in his Room of Mind, surrounded by toys and games. And an oppressive feeling of loneliness. He'd been in the Room of his Mind before, just sitting there, thinking, or trying to avoid having to feel or think about anything. But he'd always been able to come out whenever he wanted, and he could always trust his body to Yami and trust in what Yami was doing. He'd never realized, before how… _small_ it was. How the air became so stale so quickly.

Somewhere deep down he knew the room was as large as it always was, that it was of an average size and not really that small at all. But being trapped in one spot… with nothing to do, no way to help himself…

He brought his knees up and rested his chin on them. He was feeling more alone than he ever had before. He couldn't talk to his friends, couldn't even see how they were doing, and to not even have Yami… He felt his throat close and huddled down even further.

He had always known Yami was his _closest_ friend—after all Yami lived _inside_ him, and you can't get much closer than that—but he had never really realized just how much Yami actually meant to him. He'd been his best friend, the person he could always rely on and talk to. **Yami would always be there for him**. He'd believed that so much. The person he could always rely on. Sure, sometimes it would make him feel sad and useless always having to rely on Yami… at night, when he couldn't sleep and when Yami was buried deep in his mind, and everything was so quiet he was forced to go into his own conscience to find stimulation he'd think over the things he couldn't stand to think during the day, around his friends.

He shook his head violently, trying to shake out the thoughts. This was exactly what he was talking about. With nothing to do, his darkest, guiltiest thoughts came to the surface. He needed something else to think about.

He looked around again, but it hadn't changed since five seconds ago.

This was crazy. He was going to go insane in here. He could feel time moving—tell that he had hidden here in this Room twenty minutes ago about, but that didn't help him much because he had no idea what time twenty minutes ago _was_. Maybe he would have been able to come up with some sort of plan if he knew, for example, that he had woken up at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday (which he was pretty sure he hadn't), but he didn't know anything at all.

He paused.

He was going to make a plan? He realized that he'd already decided that. Sure, if he stayed in his room his memories would be safe from Yami Bakura. But he couldn't stay here forever. He didn't know—couldn't even _imagine_—what Yami Bakura wanted the God Card for, but he was as resolute as ever that Yami Bakura couldn't have it. But he _couldn't_ stay here forever. It was possible that he'd go so crazy in that little room that he might lose control of himself and open the door out of necessity, letting the memories out and Yami Bakura in. No… he'd have to leave his room, but he'd have to make it count.

The only other person who knew where the God Card was was Yami, who had helped him find the hiding place. Maybe Yami could grab the God Card before Yami Bakura. But how would Yami know that that was what he needed to do? Neither of them could have possibly imagined that Yami Bakura would show any desire for the Egyptian God Cards—hadn't he been obsessed with the Millennium Items? No… Yami wouldn't think the card was in any danger, so he wouldn't come to get it.

Speaking of which, where _was_ Yami? Yami Bakura had said that the two Egyptian spirits had traded items; did that mean he was with Bakura? This thought gave him more comfort than he would have expected—that meant Bakura had a friend, that Yami could really help Bakura. Yugi understood now that Yami Bakura had been the root of all of his friend's problems, but it was a realization in passing. Somehow he had to use Yami being in Bakura's body to his advantage. Could he get a message to him? Could he somehow tell Yami to go and save the God Card?

No, that wouldn't work. He'd have to leave the Room for that, and gain control of his body. And he had no idea how strong Yami Bakura was—if he was anywhere as strong as Yami, which he suspected he was, if Yami Bakura didn't want Yugi in control, then Yugi would never move his own body again. But what if that power, if that control, faltered for a second? Could he surprise Yami Bakura and usurp control of his body for a moment to get the message out?

He was suddenly filled with excitement. Yes! That was perfect! That's what he would do—he would rush out of the door, rush into control, and shout his warning to Yami. It was perfect! But then reality hit.

The moment he opened the door Yami Bakura would have the memories too. He couldn't check the body to make sure that he was in the same room as Yami. He couldn't be sure Yami was the predominant soul in Bakura's body at the time; if it was Bakura in charge, he would understand the message too late. If Yugi hesitated at the door for even a second Yami Bakura could swoop down and grab him, taking in the memories and then tossing Yugi back in his room.

And suddenly he realized the plan was incredibly dangerous, incredibly risky. He'd have to gamble all or nothing on good luck. And he also knew that he had made up his mind. He _was_ going to do it. All that mattered now was to get the timing right, and pray to god or whoever else was up there that he'd get it right.

Marik walked into his room in the bottom of an abandoned building. It was dusty in here, but he was trying not to attract attention. Yet. The glitzy hotels could come later.

He was already removing the deep purple robes of the Rare Hunters, letting it fall to the ground. The stale, dusty air swirled around him, kicking up dust. Dammit—he'd lived his entire life in one tomb, he felt no desire to be in one of a different kind.

"Well well," a voice from the middle of the darkened room said. "It looks like whoever sprays you does a thorough job, Marik."

Marik jumped and banged his hand on the lightswitch, filling the room with light. He was brandishing his Millennium Rod like a club, but he lowered his arm as his eyes lit on a small body sitting in a chair—which he noticed had been moved—in the middle of the room.

"Yugi?" he asked, confused. He was sure the voice he had heard hadn't been Yugi's—similar, he realized now, but different. Deeper, angrier, dripping with contempt. Yugi rolled his eyes at him and shook his head.

"I think the tanning beds have started to melt your mind, Marik," Yugi said, laughing darkly. The hair on the back of Marik's neck stood on end. This didn't sound like Yugi—it sounded like Bakura! "Of course, that would require that one was there in the first place…"

"Bakura!" Marik shouted, furious. What the hell was going on here?! Why was Yugi speaking with Yami Bakura's voice?! Yugi laughed, and it was a perverted version of Yami Bakura's laugh—Yugi was too small to pull it off entirely correctly.

"Maybe those tanning booths aren't as carcinogenic as people think." He laughed again and Marik felt himself grow angrier.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he demanded. Yugi smirked and pushed himself out of the chair. His hair looked somewhat unkempt—although it was hard to tell with that ridiculous hair style—and his school uniform was rumpled. Not like he had seen Yugi at all. What. The. Hell. Was. Going. On. "Why do you look like Yugi?!"

"How do you know Yugi doesn't just look like me?" Marik scowled angrily at him and Yugi laughed again. "Well, you are correct—it _is_ me in here."

"How," he demanded flatly. Yugi—no, Yami Bakura—shrugged nonchalantly.

"Suffice it to say that I, like your dear Pharaoh, am a spirit who was previously residing in the body of that white-haired child you've seen me in up until now. But the Pharaoh and I had a nasty… incident… and it would seem we've traded hosts now." Yami Bakura laughed. It took Marik a second to understand this—the spirit of the Pharaoh no longer lived in the body of Yugi?

"Where is the Pharaoh now?" he demanded. Yami Bakura arched an eyebrow at him; these arrogant expressions looked so ridiculously out of place on Yugi's face.

"Ahhhh, does the little rebel boy miss his master already?" He laughed scornfully and Marik had to choke down a growl. And a lot of curse words. Yami Bakura waved his hand airily before Marik could respond. "He's residing in my prior host. Unless he was lost to the Shadows. Wouldn't that make things easier?"

"Where is the God Card? I assume you brought it?" Yami Bakura shook his head and waved one finger at him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Marik. We're not _talking_ about you right now. I need to make some… adjustments… to our deal." He looked nonchalantly at his fingernails, waiting for Marik's reply.

"Like what?" Marik demanded.

"Like, instead of getting me the Millennium Puzzle and leaving it at that, I want you to get me the Millennium Ring from my host and kill him." Marik arched an eyebrow at him.

"You want me to kill the boy?" he repeated. Yami Bakura rolled his eyes and sat back down on the chair, slinging one leg over the armrest; on the other one he rested his elbow, and put his head in his hand.

"Are you a parrot? Yes, kill him. Slit his throat, shoot him, break him in half. I don't care what you do—he's of no further use to me." He looked at the back of his hand again, considering the skin there. "I think Yugi will be much more helpful for me and my goals. And besides—when you kill the boy, you'll as good as have killed the Pharaoh, and then no one can stop your nefarious little half-baked plots." He rolled his eyes and shook his head, showing how ridiculous he thought the idea.

"And in return?" Yami Bakura rolled his eyes and threw his hands into the air.

"And in return you get your precious little damn God Card and to kill the Pharaoh! What else do you need, you greedy little Egyptian bastard?! You want me to toss in a motorcycle, too? God knows you collect those things like a girl collects Barbie dolls." He noticed three Motorcycles resting against a far wall nearly completely lost in shadow. "What's this? Malibu Bicycle and her friends Baby Doctor and Cheerleader Motorcycle?"

"The Vet Motorcycle's coming out soon, only in a Toys R Us near you," Marik said mockingly. "Why don't you go jump on a plane to America and go get one for me? And I'll _consider_ not shooting you down over the Pacific Ocean." Yami Bakura chuckled and rose to his feet, walking towards the door.

"I'll give you that God Card when you bring me the Puzzle and the boy's head," he said as he shoved past Marik and out of the only door. Marik glared at him as he left, still not entirely sure what to think. The fact that Bakura was a spirit as well disturbed him greatly, but he knew there was nothing he could do with this fact now, and he'd have to ignore it.

Scowling, he stepped further into the room and slammed the door shut. He'd use Yami Bakura as much as he needed to until all three Egyptian God Cards were his.

It felt strange having a non-malevolent presence inside of him. Bakura had grown so used to Yami Bakura—his arrogance, his contempt. Yugi's Spirit was nothing like that. He was confident and sure of himself, but not in a way that made Bakura feel smaller; in fact, it made him feel stronger himself, having someone so confident within him. And this spirit was kind and seemed to respect him. It wasn't an admiring respect, but the kind that said, "You're a human being, too, and I'll treat you as one."

Bakura was making his bed. It wasn't a very heroic thing to be doing when his only friend was in danger, but it was something to do. After all, he _did_ have to get used to the feel of his own body again. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring had been in control for so long that he felt stiff and clumsy.

Though he couldn't really call him the Spirit of the Millennium Ring anymore, could he? Now Yugi's spirit inhabited the Millennium Ring and Bakura's spirit was in the Millennium Puzzle.

That thought made him sick.

_His spirit was with Yugi._

That terrible, cruel, all-controlling spirit was with Yugi. It was too much to even think about. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew he had to do something. He'd been with the Ring long enough to know that he wouldn't wish it on anyone else, even his own worst enemy. Not that being with the Ring would have much effect on Yami Bakura anyway. Somewhere in the back of his mind Bakura already knew he had to take the Spirit of the Ring back, even though he didn't want it. Sacrificing himself. Destroying his own future and happiness in order to make sure it didn't happen to anyone else.

If he'd been aware he was thinking these things he would have been so proud of himself.

He tried to lift a pitcher of water Tea had put on his bedside table, but barely got it an inch or so up before it was too heavy for him and he had to put it down. He could feel Yugi's Spirit's disapproval.

_Bakura, why have you been so tired?_ he asked him. It was strange hearing the Spirit talk to him from within his mind—usually his own Spirit would be using Bakura's mouth to speak to him aloud. _Your body and soul are both so weak. Is this the fault of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring's?_ Bakura sighed and slumped to the ground, relaxing his tired body. He'd been up for fifteen minutes and wanted to go to sleep again.

"Yes…" he admitted, staring at the ground. "He's been pushing my body to its limits. I don't know why… or even what for.


End file.
